RWBY: The Complete Saga
by GrandAdmiralJek
Summary: Bored in school, so I decided to novelize the Amerimanime RWBY in my spare time. Please, comment, critique, and share with your friends. -Jek
1. Red Trailer

**Red Trailer**

_Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest_

_White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test_

_Black the beast descends from shadows_

_Yellow beauty burns… Gold _

The winter air was cold and biting as it whistled through the trees, which, having lost their leaves some time ago, appeared as brittle black skeletons against the darkness of the forest. Snow covered the ground and gently floated down on the chilling winter breeze, spinning and spiraling like dancing lights against the evening sky.

The girl stood alone against the edge of the cliff. She gazed out at the vast emptiness beyond the edge, obscured by the flurrying snowstorm below, red cape flowing behind her in the fierce wind. Her eyes, shielded from the snow by her hood, travelled back to the small marker stone before her, faded and gray, yet still seeming to have a regal solemnity about it. The rose emblazoned across its surface shimmered in the light of the broken moon above, and the words faintly carved beneath it were coated in a white blanket.

The girl knelt to brush away the snow so the words could be properly read. "Thus kindly I scatter," the line read. Above it was a single name. Summer Rose.

A small tear made itself known on the girl's cheek, a trail made icy by the wind as it travelled from her silver eye down her face until it stopped at her chin. It held there, suspended for what seemed like minutes that were, in reality, merely seconds, before gravity finally took it down to the silent snow below.

The girl wiped her eye with one free hand and slowly turned away from the grave, walking slowly back into the dark forest, only glancing back once. Then, she continued through the heavily wooded area back towards her father's house.

As she came to a large empty meadow held captive in the middle of the forest by the dark ring of trees around it, she heard something. Her eyes began scanning the treeline, searching for the source of the sound. Her hand dipped behind her to where her weapon was secured to her back. Then, they appeared from the forest: Grimm, a large pack of Beowolves.

They seemed to leak like ink from the darkness, large, lumbering shadows equipped with teeth and fangs. Their red eyes glowed brightly as they emerged from the darkened wood. They had come for the same reason they always came; negative emotion, her sorrow and pain, it called to them and attracted them. Like flies to rotting meat, they emerged, ready to slay her and feast upon her flesh.

Encircling her, they cut off her escape, laying back on their haunches as they slinked ever closer, baring their fangs and snarling, waiting for the moment to strike. She watched them calmly, waiting along with them for the first moment of action.

With a sudden flurry of movement, three of the Beowolves sprang forward, claws outstretched ready to rend her flesh and teeth preparing to rip her to pieces.

Right at the last moment, the girl disappeared in a burst of rose petals.

The Beowolves, expecting to crash into their victim, were thrown off balance when they only encountered empty air, rolling into the snow and scanning the area, trying to locate their missing target. One of the Grimm looked up into the sky and unleashed a fierce roar as it finally found their prey.

The girl had leapt up into the sky in a burst of speed and was now silhouetted against the moon; her hood had fallen back revealing her short black hair tinged with red and her piercing silver gaze. Her cape whirled like a crimson ribbon behind her, and as she twisted in midair, she retrieved her weapon from its place behind her and set its sight downward toward the pack. The large, compact rifle appeared bulky and extravagant, painted red with black metal highlights, and yet she wielded it with the utmost delicacy as she sent her first shot hurtling down toward the earth.

The roaring Beowolf was abruptly silenced as the sniper shot sliced through its head, and it collapsed back down to the ground as the other Grimm watched. This only served to fuel their excitement, and they closed in on the girl as she fell back to earth.

The girl landed and was immediately set upon by the monsters. She leapt quickly over one as it rushed at her, killing it with a shot to its back as she did so. She landed and brought up her weapon to take another one in the side, howling in pain as its life abruptly ended. A third one she took head on, her shot going right through its core. She rolled backward, coming out of the role as she transformed the weapon into its second form – that of a large scythe.

The group of Beowolves considered the girl. With the weapon now in its melee form, it would be much more dangerous to rush in to meet the young warrior. One of the Grimm, a younger, more inexperienced Beowolf, charged in, heedless of the danger. The girl stopped it with a downward strike of the curved blade of the scythe, hooking it around the creature's head. As it faced her and bared its fangs in rage, the girl could not help but smile to herself at the young monster's recklessness. However, she brushed the thought aside and pulled the trigger of her scythe, using the weapon's recoil to send the blade completely through the Beowolf, bisecting it.

As the creature's body began to dissolve, the rest of the pack rushed forward towards the girl. She used the momentum of her shot to rotate the weapon while simultaneously expelling the shell of the spent bullet. The scythe's head sank into the ground, and she used it as a makeshift sniper stand to give her stability as she took fire upon the pack, dropping several before they could reach her.

One managed to come close and took a swipe at her legs with her claws, but the girl was too quick, leaping nimbly over the attack while firing a shot at point blank range that killed the creature and propelled her several meters away. She twisted in midair and dug the blade back into the ground, coming to land on top of the long handle of the scythe as more of the monsters emerged from the woods to follow after the first pack.

A Grimm lunged at her with a decapitating swipe that she swiftly dodged by twisting around to duck her head and place her feet on the blade of the weapon, still buried in the frozen ground. Her body laying sideways along the handle, she used the recoil of the rifle to fire a shot that sent her spinning, end over end, towards the Beowolf that had missed her while also blowing a hole in a second creature's midsection.

She delivered a kick to her original opponent that sent the creature sprawling to the ground as she returned her feet to the earth, preparing for another assault. Another Grimm approached her from the front as the first stood from the ground behind her with a roar. The girl pushed back the Beowolf before her with two quick slashes across its torso, then turned to finally bisect her original foe, ending the monster's existence in a flurry of red rose petals. She then twisted to the other wounded creature and spun the weapon in a circle, firing off a shot at just the right moment that sent the creature sprawling, a last howl dying in its throat.

One Beowolf had watched this exchange and tried to take advantage of the opening as the blade rotated, only to be caught around the head and swiftly decapitated by the scythe's deadly recoil as it propelled the sharp metal forward through its neck. The body slumped as the girl spun to take on the next two.

She caught one around the waist and used the recoil to slice through its body while firing a shot at the one behind it, killing them with one motion. The upper portion of the creature's cleaved body landed on another of its kind as more came after the red haired reaper.

Dodging both of their lunges toward her, the girl flipped backwards and the rushed forward toward the monsters. She cut the arm off of one before then taking off its legs and killing it with an upward slice, then wrapped the blade around the head of the next. She rolled and used her blade to bring herself down on top of the creature's head, the sharp blade at its neck. The Beowolf roared its protest, before being quickly silenced as its head was neatly removed from its body. The recoil sent the girl spinning once more into the air like an angel of death. With her appearance, she could have passed for the daughter of the Reaper Himself.

The monsters, however, displayed no fear, even after witnessing her kill so many of the others, whose dissolving bodies littered the ground. They leapt into the air after her, to which she simply used the recoil to meet them halfway. She landed on one and shot it through the chest, spinning towards the others and slicing through them with little effort.

She made her first mistake of the battle as she fell. So focused was she on her opponents in the sky, she almost didn't see the one on the ground in time as she fell back to earth again. The creature managed to swat her back with one of its clawed arms, and she dug the scythe blade into the ground to slow herself, sliding to a stop several meters away from the pack.

She looked upon them calmly, taking a moment to reload her weapon's empty clip, then activated the sniper scythe's third and final form. The blade rotated ninety degrees until it was pointed straight above her head, and then she rushed forward in a burst of rose petals, the blade spinning several times around her as she carved a swath of destruction through the pack. Limbs and bullet casings flew through the air, and the sounds of snarling and gunshots echoed through the meadow.

Finally, one monster was left. This one she knocked to the ground and ended with a shot right to the muzzle that propelled her backwards. She landed and brought her blade up behind her, surveying the destruction she had wrought upon the pack of Grimm, as the casings from her bullets only now began to drop into the snow from the sky.


	2. White Trailer

**White Trailer**

_Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow,_

_For the heart has no metrics or form of measure._

_And all of it… irreplaceable._

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… Weiss Schee."_

The auditorium erupted in applause and cheers as the lights dimmed. A solitary spotlight fixed upon the stage as a single figure strode forward. It was a girl in her teens wearing a completely white dress that matched her hair. The hair was put up in a long ponytail off to the right and held in place by a small crown-shaped tiara that almost resembled ice. The girl called Weiss also wore a white vest over the dress that opened up to show red lining inside. A small, misshapen scar that started just above her left eye and traced over her eyelid down to the top of her cheek was visible to the members of the audience closest to the stage.

The music began lightly, a soft piano melody that floated throughout the performance hall and echoed off of the high ceilings. The audience quieted, not wanting to ruin the performance of the amazing Weiss Schnee. Already the daughter of one of the wealthiest businessmen in Remnant, she had received fame worldwide for her incredible singing voice. Boys wished they could meet her and girls longed to be her, the snow-haired, rich heiress.

"_If only they knew," _she thought to herself, closing her eyes as she prepared to sing.

"Mirror…

"Tell me something…

"Tell me who's the loneliest of all…?"

Her voice reverberated throughout the performance hall as the paparazzi's cameras flashed. However, Weiss' mind was far from the concert. Rather, she was focused on what had happened one month ago, when she had finally decided to break away. Her father had never expected her to want to leave the comfort of Atlas, and after her older sister, Winter, had joined the military, he had not been very enthusiastic about letting Weiss study abroad at Beacon Academy in Vale, a continent away on Sanus. And so, he had devised for her a test…

* * *

Weiss gazed into the darkness before her. Her hand rested on the hilt of Myrtenaster, her rapier, as she tried to make out what challenge lay before her. Her father had been cryptic at best about the nature of this trial, but he had made it clear that if she passed, she would be free to study at Beacon. However, knowing her father, if she wanted her freedom, he was going to make her work for it. This test would not be an easy one.

Suddenly, the lights rose, and Weiss' eyes widened at the sight of the room's only other occupant. Knelt before her was a giant suit of armor, head bowed in a position of subservience and sword resting by its side. Suddenly, the suit moved of its own accord to look up at her, and Weiss understood. An Arma Gigas, a suit of armor possessed by a Geist Grimm. How her father had managed to capture this creature and place it into the armor was beyond Weiss and, quite frankly, was not her biggest concern at the moment. The knight stood to its feet, wielding the enormous broadsword in both hands, and brought it rushing down upon her in a crushing downward strike.

Weiss flipped backwards as the blade crashed into the floor and came to rest several meters away, drawing Myrtenaster in her left hand as she did so. The fight for her freedom had begun.

Weiss rushed forward, rapier pointed in front of her, as the armor began to pull its sword free of the ground. She heard and felt the satisfying sound of metal on metal as she landed a glancing blow onto the knight's shoulder before she jumped over it completely, taking a moment to stare at her opponent and size the armor up. While the strikes no doubt carried deadly force, the armor's size and the weight of the broadsword greatly decreased the Arma Gigas' reaction time, meaning that the creature seemed to have to sluggishly regain its balance and retrieve the broadsword every time it swung with the giant weapon. Weiss believed she was quick enough to avoid the blade, but she couldn't allow herself to slip even once. Even a glancing blow could cause a serious hit to her Aura and potentially injure her.

The knight swung again with that slow but deadly force, but Weiss quickly darted away, zipping to the other side of the creature before it could turn back around. Quickly, she rushed in, landing several quick slashes on the back before the creature turned around. Weiss underestimated the armor's sudden speed as its sword bore down upon her in a sweeping sideways motion. Quickly, she threw Myrtenaster up in front of her before it could make contact with her, but the force of the blow alone sent her sliding backwards on her feet. She knew that she had gotten lucky, and even still, her Aura had taken a big hit. She moved to attack, but the knight was already upon her, with another slash coming right towards her. She dodged again, but was clipped by a third strike that sent her back yet again.

Moving with the momentum, Weiss backflipped back into a standing position before accessing her weapon's Dust compartment and twirling her fingers in a complex manner. Beneath her feet appeared a white snowflake glyph that she had summoned. The glyph catapulted her forward towards the knight even quicker than before, and she struck the creature with breathtaking speed and precision before rushing to the other side. The knight could not keep up as the Heiress came at it high and low, moving too fast for it to locate her and attempt to strike.

Using more glyphs, Weiss leapt into the air, then pushed off of another to strike right at the armor's face, before twisting above and around it yet again. Undeterred, the Arma Gigas swung at her again with the broadsword, but she caught herself in the air with a glyph that she used to leap nimbly over the blade's deadly arc. However, the creature, although slow, was not incapable of learning, and sent its unused hand hurtling forward in a large metal fist. Weiss, unprepared for this surprise attack, did not have enough time to block as the hand caught her full on, sending her hurtling backwards and landing back on the floor.

Weiss got to her hands and knees, struggling to rise. Her head was pounding from that last blow, and she began to truly appreciate just how much damage the creature's lumbering attacks did. She could sense that her Aura had been completely depleted, meaning that any new attacks would directly injure her. The smart thing to do would be to give up now before the armor could do any serious damage to her, but it would mean that she never got the chance to go to Beacon. Her father would win the ultimate victory, and she would never be truly free.

Weiss grimaced as she stood to her feet, unsure of her next move. The Arma Gigas faced her down with a sinister black gaze, as she tried to decide what to do…

* * *

Back at the concert, Weiss quieted for a moment on stage as the lights dimmed completely, before letting out a long, high note. The broken moon above provided a natural spotlight for the singing Heiress, as her voice carried majestically through the amphitheater. She lifted her voice in that simple unbroken note that stretched on, changing in pitch and beauty as the sound travelled. The audience listened on in awed wonder as the voice of the young woman rang out across the hall.

However, to Weiss, she may as well have been singing to an empty room. She paid the patrons no mind as she lifted her voice in a private celebration of freedom as her thoughts once again travelled back to her battle with the Arma Gigas…

* * *

Weiss stood to her feet. Shakily, she reached a hand up to a spot on her head that was pounding feverishly. She was surprised to find a dab of blood on her fingers when she held her hand in front of her. She reached up again and realized that blood was slowly dripping from a cut over her left eye, meaning that her Aura had been completely depleted. She looked to the Arma Gigas. The knight stood at a distance, as if analyzing how its attack had affected its opponent. As she gazed upon the armor and the blood slowly ran down her face, Weiss resolved at that moment that she would not allow her father to take her freedom.

Facing down her metallic assailant, Weiss leveled Myrtenaster at the armor, issuing a silent challenge to the creature.

The knight did not disappoint. It came rushing forward in response, bringing down the broadsword in another attempt to crush its opponent. Weiss, however, rotated the Dust cartridge in Myrtenaster, unleashing the Dust onto the blade. Glancing up at the oncoming attack, Weiss brought her rapier up and deftly blocked the attack. The knight, fully expecting to obliterate its weakened enemy, was driven backwards with a flash of light, stumbling away from the Heiress.

Weiss rotated her Dust capsule again, this time selecting Ice type Dust. She spun and drove the tip of her rapier into the ground, sending the ice straight towards her disoriented attacker. The ice formed around the knight's feet, freezing the giant armor in place. Weiss leaped forward to attack her immobilized opponent, even as the Arma Gigas took another long swing at her.

However, this time, Weiss used the swing to her advantage, landing on the blade as she was swung through the air. Once again utilizing Myrtenaster's Dust cartridge, Weiss unleashed a wave of energy that shattered the icy hold on the armor's feet while disarming her attacker of the deadly broadsword. She came to rest beside the weapon as it fell beside her.

Although the knight had been disarmed, it was far from helpless, as the Heiress' new scar told. It rushed forward towards her, hands balled into fists. However, she summoned another glyph as she dodged the crushing blow, using the glyph beneath her opponent to send the armor spinning into the air. From a distance, she summoned five more glyphs to hold the armor in place by its ankles, wrists, and neck. Suspended helplessly, the knight could only wait for whatever attack Weiss used against it, and this time, it was the heiress who didn't disappoint.

Weiss leaped into the air, Dust cartridge spinning to a stop, and came soaring down to the knight. With the tip of Myrtenaster leading the way, Weiss went directly through the Arma Gigas' core, coming to rest under her vanquished foe as the glyphs holding it in place disappeared and the killing blow sent it crashing to the floor where it disintegrated behind her in a burst of white energy. Weiss stood slowly, not even bothering to turn to see if any trace of the knight was left. She knew that it was gone for good, just as she knew that she had finally stolen a chance at freedom from her father. Now, all she had to do was go to Beacon.

* * *

"I'm the loneliest of… all."

Weiss' gentle voice ceased as the song concluded, and the audience erupted into exuberant applause. She opened her eyes as the lights came up and she gazed around the amphitheater, appearing a bit dazed to those closest to the stage as she drew her thoughts away from the Arma Gigas and focused on the future. Beacon Academy in Vale, away from her father and the expectations of Atlas. Despite herself, she smiled at the thought, even as she curtsied and the curtain descended from above...


	3. Black Trailer

**Black Trailer**

_Your hopes have become my burden._

_I will find my own liberation._

Wind rustled through the leaves of Forever Fall. The gusts picked up piles of red leaves that had fallen to the forest floor, sending them sweeping through the air. The forest was a beautiful place, just outside the kingdom of Vale, and many a tourist group had come to see the woods, kept in a state of permanent autumn.

In the center of a clearing, not far from her camp, sat Blake Belladonna, calmly staring up into the sky as her raven hair, held back under a black bow, was blown behind her by the wind. Her face was a mask of serenity that disguised the raw emotions bubbling beneath the surface. The plan today was to intercept an Atlas train shipment of Dust, which wouldn't be that hard. However, the mission was not what was causing Blake such anxiety.

Behind her came the sound of footsteps.

"Blake," came Adam's voice, "it's time."

Blake looked back at him, taking in his sizeable frame and dark red hair. And the mask. The mask that he never seemed to be without, that he said was a symbol and a statement to those they opposed, that had changed so drastically how he viewed the world.

She couldn't remember the last time she had seen his eyes. The thought scared her.

Trying to steady her voice and to keep the worry out of her amber eyes, she looked to the eye slits in his mask and softly replied, "Okay."

* * *

**The leaves crunched under their feet as they dashed through the forest. Blake could see the edge of the treeline just up ahead. As they broke through, they slowed to a stop and gazed out to the currently empty track at the bottom of the steep hill.**

Suddenly, a train whistle was heard in the distance. A black cargo train came speeding into view, towing what appeared to be car upon car of Dust products. Products like that would definitely be of use to the White Fang, and Adam knew that. That was why he had gone searching through the underbelly of Vale for any new information about Atlesian shipments. He had never said where he had gotten the train's schedule, and Blake had not asked.

As the train began to speed by below them, Adam leaped into the air, landing far below on the slope as he began to slide down. Blake followed close behind, throwing fallen leaves into the air as they slid. When they neared the tracks, the duo jumped once again before landing on the now moving train, using their weapons to gain their balance as they adjusted to the train's momentum.

Once the two caught themselves, they began to quickly sprint up the length of the train. They leaped over gaps in the cars with graceful speed as they closed in on their target. Adam suddenly pulled up, not even pausing to catch his breath as he unsheathed Wilt, his sword, to slice out and cut open a hatch on the top of the car before resheathing it far quicker than the eye could see. He let himself fall down into the darkness below, and Blake quickly followed suit.

As she came to rest beside her friend, Blake looked around in the dark room. There were several figures on both walls, seemingly standing guard. Suddenly, a red light came on in each of the guards' heads, and Blake recognized them. Atlesian Knight 130s, the typical Atlas guard droids used on shipments like these all across Remnant. In her time with the White Fang, Blake had grown quite used to dismantling the hapless metal soldiers.

"Looks like we're gonna be doing this the hard way," Adam said to her as he too took in the robots surrounding them.

Blake reached over her shoulder where her weapon, Gambol Shroud, rested in its sheath. Despite herself, she smiled at Adam's words, as he knew just as well as she that the droids would be easily dealt with.

"Don't be so dramatic," she chuckled.

The robots, sensing the uninvited guests, had activated and begun to surround them as soon as they had touched the floor. They all adopted defensive stances as they began to close in. One of the robots converted its hands into rotating gun barrels that it leveled threateningly at them.

"Intruder, identify yourself," the AK-130 grated in a cold, metallic voice.

Adam merely smirked in response as he fired Blush, the sheath of his sword that also functioned as a shotgun, sending the handle of Wilt smacking into the droid and knocking it backward. Before any of the others could react, Adam darted forward and snatched his weapon out of the air, slipped behind the off balance machine and sliced it cleanly in half. The torso hadn't even touched the ground as he resheathed the long red sword.

The robots had been unable to process the motion with as swift as it had been. However, as they realized that the intruders were hostile and ready for a fight, they produced short blades from behind their wrists and began to dash forward towards Adam and Blake.

The two infiltrators didn't hesitate. As soon as the guards reached them, Blake sprang into action, grabbing Gambol Shroud by the hilt as she sliced through the machines, taking down two in one strike. Adam was right behind her, simultaneously using the long katana to slice the droids to ribbons while blasting any that were still too far away with his shotgun, constantly sheathing and unsheathing Wilt as he gathered energy from the swings into Blush's hilt. From behind, there came the sound of gunshots from one of the machine's hands. Blake turned to intercept, only to see Adam already there, absorbing the energy once again into his blade. Blake broke away from him to engage the bots rushing forward from behind them where the shots had originated.

She met them head on, using the large, flat sheath of her sword that served as a larger, flatter secondary blade to dismember many, before finally taking out her smaller, more precise blade and adopting a dual wielding stance that she used to cut through countless enemies. Torsos cleaved in half, metal heads flew through the air, legs were removed at the knees as Blake unleashed herself on the machines. One went flying through the air, and Adam was right behind, delivering a kick to it that sent it careening across the car and out the door to the rest of the train.

Once they had cleared the car and reached the top again, Adam looked forward to see that more of the guards were coming. Blake could sense his anger that would soon manifest in malevolent action as he said firmly, "Let's do this."

They moved forward as one, working as a team as she would move in to strike, then he would follow up, allowing her to finish. She drew her short blade in as she reattached her sheath and converted the small blade to its pistol form, then hurled it forward at the enemy. A long black ribbon flailed behind, trailing from the butt of the pistol, and she gave it a hard tug, sending the sharpened pistol back into the swarm of oncoming metal as it fired and slashed away.

Adam finished off the last one, and they moved forward to the next car, where even more of the robots awaited them. Adam dashed forward and took on seven alone, Wilt moving too quickly to follow as it cut through all seven with brutal quickness. Blake followed his lead, using both blades and her pistol-whip to carve a path of sparking circuits and broken metal through the guards. Adam once again took care of the one survivor, resheathing Wilt to gather its accumulated energy into Blush, and they entered the next car.

Suddenly, Adam's urgency seemed to vanish, as he noticed the crates that stocked the room. He walked over to one and sliced off the locks, then opened the lid. Blake peered over the side and saw the Dust crystals and vials sparkling within.

"Perfect," said Adam, the satisfaction clear in his voice as he closed the container. He turned to Blake. "Move up to the next car. I'll set the charges."

Blake's brow furrowed. This had been what she was afraid of. "What about the crew members?" she asked, knowing his answer even as he replied.

"What about them?" Adam replied with a coldness that made her shudder.

Before Blake could respond, they both turned at a sudden growling noise heard behind them. A huge, lumbering shape emerged from where it had been hanging unnoticed on the ceiling, and Blake's breath caught when she recognized it. An Atlesian Spider Droid.

A new expansion in Atlesian defense, the lumbering mechs had been rumored to have begun being utilized by the military in the past few months. However, they were still in the prototype stage, and Blake had only heard rumors of them being used to guard large and sensitive transports. She had never expected to come face to face with one.

"Adam!" she said warningly, even as he moved forward to eagerly intercept this new powerful adversary.

The huge metal monster came forward, charging up its four arm cannons and sending a barrage of ammunition screaming towards her and Adam. Adam dashed forward, absorbing the attacks into Wilt as Blake came up from behind to engage the advanced droid. However, the machine was not as dull as the AK-130s had been, and it did the unexpected, thrusting its huge mass forward and headbutting her across the room.

Blake landed with a grunt of pain as the Spider Droid moved forward to press its attack. However, Adam came rushing to her aid, appearing out of nowhere in the beast's face as he slashed and struck wherever he saw an opening with his katana. He landed and moved to help Blake, but before he could reach her, the machine used one of its four crablike legs to kick the man back across the car, shooting at him to keep him dodging once he landed. Again unoccupied, the creature lifted the leg in an attempt to crush Blake beneath its foot. Before it could deliver the blow, Adam dashed forward and caught her up into his arms, carrying her to safety as the metal claw came crashing down where she had lain.

As he set her down, Blake took in the large droid. Its size betrayed none of its deadly speed and thinking processes, and Blake knew they would never defeat it in such close quarters.

"We have to get out of here ," she said to Adam.

Before he could reply, the Spider Droid decided to aid them in their exit, forming up its four cannons into one giant energy weapon. Adam attempted to bring up Wilt before the blast, but was caught unprepared. The energy blast slammed him into Blake, and this time it was they that went hurtling backwards through the door to the train outside.

Their attacker was following them even as they got back to their feet. Adam's mind raced. He had been unprepared for the previous attack, but if he could manage to brace himself and capture the energy into Wilt and Blush…

The plan formed in his mind, Adam turned to Blake and called out, "Buy me some time!"

"Are you sure?" she tentatively replied.

"Do it!" he snapped back, preparing himself for the blast.

Not having enough time to argue any further, Blake rushed forward, dodging blasts as the machine located her in its sights. She rolled as she reached the droid and slashed, using her pistol's ribbon to fling up into the air. She yanked and the sharpened edge came free. She was briefly silhouetted against the broken moon as the ribbon twirled around her, then she came back down, slicing and stabbing, twirling around the beast quicker than it could follow, swinging the ribbon and slashing with Gambol Shroud as she kept the bot occupied. She wrapped around the giant neck and fired several shots point blank into its face, before she flipped backwards away from the metallic crab.

"Move!" came Adam's shouted order, and as the creature once again formed up its giant energy cannon, Blake flipped away again, out of range, leaving Adam as the bot's sole target.

The energy cannon fired, and Adam felt the immense power pushing against him as he attempted to take on the awesome amounts of energy bombarding Wilt's blade. He kept his heels dug in and was just barely able to capture the power into Blush, the hilt. Suddenly, Adam's hair, his Faunus bull horns, and the red trimming on his black coat glowed a brilliant red. The machine leaped forward to attack, and Adam chuckled as he slashed forward.

Adam's Semblance was known as Moonslice, which he utilized in direct correlation with his two weapons. He had been enabled to capture any enemy energy into his sword and store it into the hilt, where it could then be unleashed in one single strike that, when powerful enough, could level buildings. In this case, however, the robot seemed to simply disintegrate as the huge amount of energy he had been building up since landing on the train was all funnelled through the sword into its mass, and the hulking metal beast just vanished.

Satisfied, Adam turned and began to run forward to the next car. He could see Blake already across the gap, and just a few cars ahead was the main engine. If they could reach that, the train would be theirs to take where they wanted. However, something in Blake's posture gave him pause. He met her gaze and was shocked to see sorrow and regret in her eyes as she drew Gambol Shroud from her back and gripped it with both hands. He reached forward for her in a useless gesture to wait, but she just sadly shook her head.

"Goodbye," she said softly in the sudden quiet of afterbattle. The blade came down and cleanly separated the train cars from each other. The car Adam was on quickly began to slow before he could attempt to jump to the other side.

Blake watched as one of her oldest friends slowly shrank into the distance, hating the tears that fell from her eyes. Even though it hurt to leave him behind, she had told herself that she could no longer abide his extremist philosophies and had decided last night that this mission would be her last. Her indecision from the morning had passed, and now, it was time to think of the future. Resolutely, she fixed her gaze on the cars as they disappeared around a bend in the track and the still attached cars made their way toward their destination in Vale, where Beacon Academy awaited.


	4. Yellow Trailer

**Yellow Trailer**

_Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, _

_One-sided and easily processed._

_Yet every misshapen spark's unseen beauty_

_Is greater than its would be judgement._

The broken moon sat high in the sky over Remnant, illuminating the dimly-lit streets of Vale. In the midst of the quiet calm of the night, the sudden sound of a revving engine broke the silence. A yellow motorcycle zipped through the streets, swerving quickly around corners and speeding across empty intersections. The bike turned to the left, then came to a full stop in front of a large yet dark building with curtains over the main windows. However, the music blaring within the nightclub betrayed the fact that it was very much in business, and tonight, the club's owner, Junior Xiong, would be receiving a surprise visitor.

The rider got off of the bike, removing her helmet to let her long mane of golden blond hair flow freely behind her. She set up her bike's kickstand and then, with a confident stride, Yang Xiao Long made her way to the front entrance of Junior's club and walked in.

The music was blaring as soon as the door shut behind her, and the club was full of patrons, some out dancing together to the beat on the dance floor, others sitting at the bar enjoying conversations and drinks. Yang scanned the crowd, searching for Junior. His goons were everywhere, guards in all black with hats and red sunglasses, taking the newcomer in as she walked in with a flirty sway in her hips.

Suddenly, Yang found him. Junior was standing by the bar, seemingly arguing with another man in a long white coat and a bowler hat. Junior seemed to give up and waved the man away, and Yang caught a glimpse of his orange hair that covered his right eye as he walked out of the club, motioning with his cane to a few of Junior's men, who came along after him.

Yang didn't know what the exchange had been about, and it was none of her business, anyway. Besides, she hadn't come here to worry about stopping small-time crime. She was looking for someone, and if anyone had information, Junior would be it.

She strode up to the bar, coming to a stop beside Junior. Seeing her, Junior sent away his two private bodyguards, twin girls dressed in red and white dresses. Junior sensed she wanted a discussion, but he politely waited for her to initiate.

Yang looked to the bartender. "Strawberry Sunrise, no ice." she said politely. As an afterthought, she added, "Oh, and one of those little umbrellas."

Tired of waiting, Junior began talking. "Aren't you a little young to be in this club, Blondie?"

"Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?" she replied with a giggle.

Junior sighed. He knew the kid couldn't be older than seventeen, but it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere until she got whatever it was she wanted.

"So you know who I am," Junior stated. "You got a name, sweetheart?"

Yang smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, Junior, I've got several," she replied playfully. "But instead of sweetheart…" Her smile vanished as her hand went below his waist. Junior's eyes widened and he let out a painful gasp as she squeezed. "You can just call me sir," she finished, her playful tone replaced by a stern gaze and a cold voice.

Still holding onto him, Yang reached to her belt and took out her Scroll. She lit up the screen and held it in front of the squirming Junior.

"People say you know everything," she began. She flashed a picture on the screen of a woman dressed all in red with long black hair. "Tell me where I can find her and I'll let you go."

"I've never seen her before, I swear!" Junior pleaded in a much higher voice.

"Excuse me?" Yang said, eyes flashing as she tightened her grip a little bit.

Junior yelped again. "I swear, sir!" he corrected himself.

The goons in the club finally noticed that their boss had himself in a predicament, but they held back, weapons drawn, as they were unsure what to do while Yang still had Junior in her grasp.

Looking to the men, Yang smiled at Junior, the playful tone back in her voice. "Hmm, looks like we have an audience. This must be kinda embarrassing for you. Awkward!"

Junior, still straining, said, "Listen, Blondie, sir! If you wanna get out of this club alive, I suggest you let me go, now!" Junior was aware of how pathetic his threat sounded in the position he was in, but Yang decided that she had toyed with the man long enough and would not get any information from it, so she released him.

Junior gasped in relief as Yang let him go, but his face of pain quickly turned to a scowl. "You'll pay for that," he said to the blonde as he put on his own pair of red sunglasses and walked away.

Yang followed after him, walking backwards in front of him with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. "Oh, Junior! I was just playing with you! Don't be so sensitive! Come on, let's kiss and make up, okay?" She leaned in, apparently actually offering him a kiss.

Junior paused at that. "Huh?" This young, attractive girl had just attacked him where no man should ever be hurt, and here she was, turning around and offering him a kiss. It was absurd. Not that he was complaining, of course. He turned to face her.

"Uh, okay."

Junior leaned in to meet her, eyes closed behind his sunglasses, as Yang puckered up to give him a kiss. At the last minute however, the blonde seemed to have a change of heart as she delivered a punch to Junior that sent him flying backwards through the air. Junior crashed through a large piece of decorative glass and landed in a sitting position against a wine rack, dazed and seeing stars. The guests, sensing that there was about to be a serious fight, began scrambling from the dance floor and barstools to any exits they could find.

The henchmen looked from Junior to Yang in shock, then decided to run forward and attack. Yang had a smirk on her face as she unfurled her weapons, twin yellow bracelets on her arms that began to transform into large gauntlets covering her forearms. The gauntlets contained within them clips of shotgun shells, and she lovingly referred to them as Ember Celica.

As the group of men closed in on her, Yang leaped high in the air above the empty dance floor, glimmering in the light of the disco ball above. She grinned as she looked down on the large group below, relishing the fight that was to come. She came crashing down back to the dance floor with a punch that sent the entire group sprawling. As they got to their feet, Yang put her hands up in a boxer's pose and began to beat them to pulp.

Yang came at the group in a flurry of fists, sending the first guard sprawling with a powerful kick. She turned and uppercutted another into the air, then spun to deliver another kick to a pair that had tried to rush in, sending them sprawling. She turned towards the others and began to tear her way through them, raining blows on the men as they tried to even make contact with her. Her knuckles connected with torsos and faces, and she blocked incoming strikes with the gauntlets as she moved.

She punched one of the men into the air then slammed him back down with a shotgun blast. Using her recoil, Yang fired herself onto one of the men, propelling off of his chest with her foot as she came down straight into another one, knocking him backwards into one of his friends. With the first one down for the count, she focused on the stumbling man, taking care of him in two punches before firing herself backwards into another with the recoil of Ember Celica.

She sent her elbow straight into her next foe's gut, causing him to double over in pain, before kicking him away. There were only two goons left on the dance floor. The first she came at quickly with multiple blows, ending by kicking him through another of the decorative glass panels. She turned to the last one, blocking a swipe from his long sword, before delivering several punches to his midsection, delivering an uppercut right under his jaw, and then punching him away.

The DJ in the soundbooth had been watching the massacre on the dance floor, and decided that as the yellow-themed girl was distracted, now would be the perfect time to strike. He pulled out a large gun from inside the booth, laying down a burst of fire towards his target.

Yang, however, dodged left and right, flying up to the booth with her gauntlets, and kicked the man into the wall. As the gun fell from his hands, Yang sent her elbow, propelled by the recoil of another shot, into the man's face with a force that made him go limp, before she forcibly smashed his head against the sound controls and lifted him overhead with both arms. She fired off both gauntlets, sending the man both into unconsciousness and flying out of the sound booth, where his prone form came to rest at the feet of two familiar looking girls.

Junior's twin bodyguards looked up at Yang. "Melanie, who is this girl?" the one in red asked in an annoyed voice.

"I dunno, Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson," replied the white one, arms crossed over her chest.

Yang, sensing the unspoken challenge, popped the spent shells from her gauntlets with a smile. She tossed up two new clips into the air, catching them inside of her weapons with twin _clicks_, before jumping down to confront the other girls.

In mid air, Yang unleashed a quick barrage of shots at the girls, which they nimbly dodged by flipping backwards. Yang landed in a squared stance and continued to let loose her blasts, which the girls rolled and sidestepped with ease. Melanie and Miltia split up, with Melanie, the all-white twin, going to Yang's right, while Miltia, the red one, came from the left. Melanie managed to block several of Yang's attacks with her weapons, a set of small, sharp blades that extended from the base of her heel to the top of her calf; while Yang was distracted, Miltia attempted to attack from behind with her long, sharp wrist blades, but Yang caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and dodged at the last possible moment.

Miltia flew past and landed nimbly on her feet, leaping into the air as Yang sent another blast from Ember Celica her way. Melanie had used the distraction to seize her sister's advantage and flip behind Yang, who turned to meet the oncoming attack. She blocked Melanie's strong kick with both gauntlets, even as the force pushed her slightly back, and sent another blast towards the girls, who had grouped up again. Melanie flipped forward and caught the shot on her heel blade as it flew, splitting the charge in half as it exploded into the glass behind her. Miltia ran forward towards Yang again and began to slash with both of her large, claw-like weapons. Melanie followed close behind with her kicks, and although Yang was able to catch some of the blows on her gauntlets, she quickly became overwhelmed and was sent flying backwards by the barrage of blows from the twins. Undeterred, she fired off her gauntlets and came back at the girls in a burst of speed.

Melanie, unprepared for such a sudden counterattack, was sent flying backward by one of Yang's powerful punches, leaving Miltia alone to defend herself against the blonde brawler while her sister regained her senses. Yang sent in a jab that connected hard to Miltia's face, dazing her, but the red girl managed to bring up her weapons in time to defend the next set of attacks. However, without her sister, Miltia was quickly overcome by the rapid succession of punches and kicks from Yang, and the blonde found an opening. She stunned Miltia with a shotgun blast to her torso, then uppercutted the poor girl into the air, finishing her off with a blast that sent her through yet another piece of decorative glass, which was by now littered across the floor. At that moment, Melanie was getting to her hands and knees, shaking off the dizziness from the last punch. She watched as her sister was sent careening through the glass with a loud crash, and suddenly in front of her was Yang, pressing the offensive and trying to end the fight for good.

Melanie was barely able to dodge a punch that cracked the floor beneath her, then delivered a direct kick to the right gauntlet as it fired off, silencing the shot before it could leave the barrel. The two girls spun and twirled in a dizzying display of kicks and blocks, attacking and dodging wherever they could. Melanie's blades flashed in the light of the nightclub, and Yang's gauntlets unleashed blast after blast of explosive power, trying to find some connection.

Melanie unleashed a combo of kicks, going high and low, that forced Yang to stop firing so she could block, and used the quick moment to kick her back once again. Yang took the moment to breathe, watching as Melanie came running towards her again. Melanie made her way forward with the elegance of a dancer, forcing Yang slowly back with a series of feints and strikes, until Yang did something unexpected. Spinning around, Yang brought her elbow into the girl's stomach, knocking the breath out of her which escaped in a pained grunt. Before Melanie could recover, Yang had grabbed her wrist and slung her around in a quick circle, throwing her off balance. Melanie had just enough time to steady her feet and look up before her face was met by Yang's boot in a powerful kick that set the girl's head pounding and sent her down for the count.

As Melanie limped away from the dance floor, clutching to herself with a pained expression, Yang turned. The lights began to act up, spinning and flashing in a synchronized pattern until, suddenly, Junior appeared from the darkness under a spotlight, wielding what appeared to be a very large rocket launcher. As Junior took in his wrecked club, he fixed Yang with a pointed stare.

"You're gonna pay for this," he said coldly, leveling the bazooka at her.

Junior unleashed a barrage of missiles that came at Yang from all directions at once. Yang flipped backwards in a dodge, then rolled sideways to avoid a second attack. Facing Junior down, she began blasting away at the incoming rockets, destroying them before they could get to her. Junior leapt forward, the rocket launcher transforming into a large metal bat in his hands.

Junior began his attack, striking hard and surprisingly fast with the seemingly cumbersome weapon, hitting her with three strikes that drove her back. She tried to regain her balance, but then Junior leveled her with a baseball swing that sent her flying across the club and put her through the glass for the first time that evening. She landed sprawled on her stomach, slowly getting to her hands and knees. Junior smiled as he watched her gradually get back to her feet, wondering how much damage he'd done, but then his gaze narrowed as she looked up at him with a sly smile and pounded her gauntlets together, hair glowing like fire behind her. Up went her fists in that classic boxer's position, and she dashed forward towards him.

Junior fired off more missiles, but Yang was too quick, dodging and weaving so fast that he only got off two before she was on him. He quickly turned the launcher back into a bat and made two swings, but Yang ducked quickly under each one and came up swinging, throwing punches left and right and letting off blast after blast from Ember Celica. Suddenly, she set her feet and threw a devastating right hook that sent Junior stumbling away from her. Her eyes, formerly lilac in color, now glowed red with anger.

Junior regained his balance and looked down to notice two things. First, his bat had been snapped in half by that last attack, the broken end lying somewhere behind him. Second, in his other hand there was a clump of long, blond hair. Very familiar blond hair.

Yang, seeing the hair at the same moment as Junior, suddenly flared up even brighter. No one, _no one_, touched her hair. Yang dashed forward, and Junior's eyes went wide with fear as she charged him, letting out a scream of power with her red eyes flashing as she connected, punching him with such force that he went flying out of the front window of his club. He landed out on the street with a pained groan, out cold and sure to wake up bruised and battered. Yang leapt out the window after Junior, and as she looked to him, she noticed that he had landed at someone else's feet.

The newcomer was a girl, about two years younger than herself, dressed in black with a red skirt and cape. Her black hair was tinged red, and a large weapon was attached to her back.

"Yang?" the girl said in surprise. "Is that you?"

Yang smiled. It was Ruby, her sister, who had probably followed her here to make sure she stayed out of trouble. "Oh, hey sis!" she replied, eyes fading from fiery red back to their gentle lilac.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked, hands on her hips.

Yang glanced up at the sky, at the broken moon beginning to set and the sun rising just over the horizon, and sighed.

"It's a long story."


	5. Ruby Rose

**Chapter One: Ruby Rose**

A female voice spoke.

"_Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past._

"_Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction – the creatures of Grimm – set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void._

"_However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named 'Dust.'_

"_Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die, and when they are gone… darkness will return._

"_So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called 'free world.' But take heed: There will be no victory in strength."_

Another voice answered the first, this one male.

"_But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten, things that require a smaller, more honest soul."_

* * *

The broken moon above shined down on the kingdom of Vale. People walked the streets calmly, some young friends acting up carefreely as the workday had ended, others in couples strolling along, enjoying the night and each other's company. In comparison to some of the other kingdoms, Vale was probably the tamest of the four, with a calm atmosphere that was rarely, if ever, plagued by criminal violence. However, tonight, that quiet silence was about to be broken.

A man appeared out of the shadows of an alleyway. He was dressed in a long, white coat lined with red, and his long black pants ran down to the ankles of his matching boots. A small gray scarf adorned his neck, and his orange hair was slightly long but neatly styled to cover his right eye. The hair was kept in place by a red-banded bowler hat atop his head, and he slowly took a draw from his cigar with a smirk on his face, swinging his hook-handled cane with every step.

Not many people knew Roman Torchwick by name or face, but as the people quietly walking the street took in his associates, four nearly identical goons dressed in black hats, black suits, and red sunglasses and armed with long, red swords, as well as the way he and his group were sizing up the small _From Dust Til Dawn_ Dust shop, they could imagine his intentions and wanted no part of them. As Torchwick and his men began to walk menacingly towards the shop, people cleared the way, wanting nothing more than to avoid the group's sinister plans.

Torchwick pushed open the door to the quaint shop, his men filing in behind him. As they began to size up the old, gray-haired man behind the counter, none of them noticed the small girl reading a weapons magazine in one of the aisles, cloaked in a red cape and hood.

Torchwick smiled charmingly at the shopkeeper. Gesturing with his cigar, he leaned forward on the counter.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" he asked. As he did, one of his men leveled a small but intimidating pistol at the old man.

Frightened, the shopkeeper put his hands cautiously in the air. "Please," he said in a pleading voice, "just take my lien and leave." All he wanted at this point was to avoid any conflict.

Torchwick gave a quiet, reassuring sound. "Shh, shh, shh. Calm down, we're not here for your money." Turning to his men, he ordered, "Grab the Dust."

Two of the henchmen stepped to the wall with large Dust canisters, where dispenser pipes full of different types of Dust stood ready to dispense the energy material. They plugged in their canisters and began to fill the storage units with the magical substance.

Another goon placed a storage case on the counter. "Crystals," he demanded simply, "burned, uncut." The shopkeeper moved to quickly comply with the demands, filling the case with Dust crystals. Roman looked on with a smile as his robbery continued smoothly, leaning against his cane on the counter.

One of the men moved to go to another alcove of Dust dispensers, when he heard faint music coming from behind him. Turning, he finally noticed the store's other occupant, the small girl that had thus far gone unnoticed by the criminals and had been ignorant of the theft due to her headphones. As the man drew his sword, he leveled it threateningly at the girl's back.

"Alright, kid, put your hands where I can see 'em," the crook ordered.

The girl showed no sign of acknowledgement, keeping her back turned and her nose buried in the weapons magazine.

"Hey, I said hands in the air!" the man repeated as he walked towards the girl. "You got a death wish or something?"

"Huh?" said the girl as he tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to face him. The man pointed to her ears, indicating to take her headphones off.

"Yes?" she said, removing the headphones.

Frustrated, the goon replied, "I said, put your hands in the air, now!"

Confused, the young teen asked, "Are you… robbing me?"

By this point completely exasperated, the goon replied, "Yes!" as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The girl's eyes narrowed, and a smile crept onto her face. "Ohh…" she said with a smirk.

Back at the counter, Roman was still smiling when he heard one of his men give a cry, followed by a small "Hyah!" The goon came flying backwards from the aisle. Roman barely glanced at the small girl before motioning for another man to take care of her. The second henchman pointed the pistol away from the shopkeeper and focused on the girl, shouting, "Freeze!" as he powered up the weapon.

Outside the shop, people began to run away as a man came sailing through the window, ridden by a blurred figure in a red cape. The three other goons and Roman finally diverted their complete attention to the girl that was interrupting their heist. Roman watched with muted annoyance as she stood unceremoniously atop the unconscious criminal, a giant weapon unfolding in her hands. The gigantic metal scythe looked to be huge for a girl so small, and yet, Ruby Rose handled it with deadly precision as she twirled it around her and sank the blade into the street, leveling it at the group of crooks and turning off her music to focus on the fight.

"Okay," Roman said slowly as he sized up the girl, trying to determine her skill. With a motion to his men, he ordered, "Get her!"

The men rushed forward, swords drawn. Ruby waited for them, dodging the first attack as the sword blade sliced through the air beneath her. Maneuvering her body with her hands on the handle of her weapon, she twisted in the air and brought her feet straight into the first man's face, sending his sunglasses flying. One down.

She brought her weapon behind her, pressing the trigger, which sent her weapon into a devastating, momentum-fueled spin as the recoil brought the butt of the blade into the second man, sending the unfortunate henchman flying into the air. Before he had landed, she was already focused back on the third. With a quick action, she brought the butt back down onto her foe, crushing him to the street. Behind her, the original man had begun to recover and was getting back to his feet, gun in hand. As he began to fire at her, she used the weapon's recoil as well as her own speed to dodge left and right, before rushing in with a strike that sent the last goon up into the air. She rushed up to meet him and batted him back down, where he landed, out cold, at Roman's feet.

Roman surveyed his battered and unconscious team. "You were worth every cent, truly you were," he muttered under his breath. Junior wouldn't be happy about this. However, that was for another night. Right now, he had more pressing concerns. Returning his gaze to the red reaper, Roman dropped his cigar to the street.

"Well, Red," he began as he crushed the cigar beneath his cane, "I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around…"

He brought the cane, which functioned as his weapon and he called Melodic Cudgel, up suddenly, a small opening popping up on the bottom, revealing a set of targeting crosshairs and a long, empty barrel within the hollow cane.

"I'm afraid this is where we part ways," Roman finished, firing off a burst of red energy at Ruby.

Ruby reacted quickly, firing her weapon at the ground as the energy charge approached. The recoil sent her vaulting away from the ground and high into the air as the charge exploded where her feet had been moments before. She landed back on the street, but Roman seemed to have disappeared. She looked around, befuddled, until she spotted him climbing up the ladder of a nearby building to the roof. She turned to the shopkeeper, who had watched the entire altercation.

"You okay if I go after him?" asked Ruby.

The man replied with a small, "Uh huh," and Ruby took off after the crook, firing off her weapon to propel herself up to the roof, where Roman was running towards the edge. "Hey!" shouted Ruby, giving him pause.

"Hmm. Persistent," Roman mused, his back turned to her. Suddenly, the sound of an engine could be heard, and in front of Roman rose a large Bullhead that was awaiting him to board so it could fly him away. The entry hatch opened, and Roman jumped in quickly. Before Ruby could react, he turned to her, a glowing red Dust crystal in hand.

"End of the line, Red!" shouted Torchwick, tossing the crystal at her feet. Taking careful aim with his cane, he targeted the crystal and fired, and he looked on in glee and laughed as the crystal exploded. However, as the smoke cleared, his smile disappeared and he let out an annoyed sound of disbelief. Ruby was standing unharmed behind a wall of purple energy. The source of that energy was an older, blond-haired woman who had appeared in front of the young teen, with what appeared to be a riding crop outstretched like a wand in her hand.

The blond woman was dressed in a billowy white top and black pants, with a purple cape fluttering behind her. She pushed up her glasses, which had fallen out of place as she had jumped in front of the blast, and leveled her crop at the Bullhead and unleashed several streaks of purple energy towards the flying craft as Ruby looked on in awe of the Huntress, a start of recognition going through her. "_That's Glynda Goodwitch!" _Ruby thought to herself.

Inside the Bullhead, Roman stumbled as the craft was jostled from one side to another, dropping his cane as he rushed to the cockpit, where his companion, a woman in a red dress with black hair, struggled with the controls.

"We've got a Huntress!" Roman informed her urgently, and she released the controls and hurried to the back, leaving him to steer the Bullhead.

Back on the roof, using the Dust within her wand, Glynda sent a charge into the air above the craft that erupted into a swarm of storm clouds, which rumbled threateningly above the machine. She gestured downward with her crop, and out of the clouds emerged large, jagged icicles that began to rain down onto the Bullhead. The ice stuck fast to the craft, with Roman even having to quickly dodge as a shard came crashing through the front windshield and sinking into the leather of the pilot's chair beside his head.

As Glynda and Ruby watched her deadly ice storm go to work, a new female figure strode into view inside the open hatch of the Bullhead. Glynda's eyes narrowed as the woman summoned up an energy into her hands that she sent hurtling towards Glynda. The blond woman threw up another protective shield with her wand, but then had to flip backwards as the shattered energy blast accumulated again beneath her feet and exploded under her in a deadly pyro mine, sending shards of concrete from the roof everywhere.

However, Glynda used this to her advantage, using her telekinesis to summon the shards up and into one long, lance-like projectile that she sent to batter the Bullhead, as her ice storm had by now worn off. The mystery woman began to blast the projectile and shatter it, but as it was not completely solid to begin with, Glynda merely reformed it in midair, sending it straight towards the cockpit.

Roman saw the attack coming and angled the craft so that the lance merely glanced off of the machine and was diverted away. Undeterred, Glynda divided the shards of rock into separate, twirling projectiles that closed in on the Bullhead. The mystery woman had been thrown off balance by the first attack, but now she regained her balance and unleashed a massive wave of energy that completely obliterated the incoming missiles.

Ruby snapped out of her awed trance and focused on the woman, transforming her scythe into its compact rifle form as she fired shot after shot towards the woman. However, their foe merely caught the shots on her hand, somehow absorbing the attacks as she gestured with her other hand, causing several pyro mines to appear beneath Ruby and Glynda. Glynda saw the danger and used her telekinesis to thrust Ruby out of the way before flipping forwards herself, as the mines exploded harmlessly behind them. Unfortunately, their assailants had taken the distraction as an advantage to get away, and the mysterious woman's glowing eyes disappeared behind the closing door of the Bullhead's hatch as the craft sped away.

Glynda watched them go, then turned her attention to the girl. "You're a Huntress!" Ruby began. Her face lit up in an expression of awe and joy, and she looked to Glynda with a hopeful expression. "Can I have your autograph?" she gushed in a pleading voice.

* * *

Later that night, Ruby sat with a sullen look on her face in a small, police interrogation room. Her initial joy at not only having met a Huntress but having met Glynda Goodwitch, a well respected teacher from Beacon Academy, had worn off quickly when the teacher began to berate her as soon as she sat down.

"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady," Glynda began in a severe tone as she paced back and forth. "You put yourself and others in grave danger."

"They started it!" Ruby protested.

"If it were up to me," Glynda continued, "you'd be sent home: with a pat on the back…" she conceded, and Ruby's gaze grew hopeful. However, Glynda's gaze turned cold upon her. "And a slap on the wrist," she finished, bringing her riding crop down on the table with a loud smack that sent Ruby backwards with a fearful yelp.

"But," Glynda sighed, "there is someone here who would like to meet you." She moved out of the doorway, and into the room stepped a middle-aged man with a messy mop of silver-gray hair, wearing a black button-up vest over a long sleeved black suit and a green shirt with long black pants and small black glasses adorning his face. In one hand he held a cup of hot cocoa; in the other was a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"Ruby Rose," the man began as he stepped towards her. He leaned in close to her and seemed to be examining her. Ruby met his gaze with a bit of trepidation, as she had recognized him as well. He was Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, which was Vale's major Huntsman training academy.

As he watched her, Ozpin said something in a thoughtful tone that threw her off for a moment. "You… have silver eyes." It was almost a question, but she could tell he meant it as a statement. It had almost seemed like he had been talking to himself.

"Uh, umm…" Ruby began, confused, but Ozpin leaned back, apparently moving past his strange comment.

"So," he began. "Where did you learn to do _this_?" He gestured to a tablet that Glynda was holding, where footage taken by a bystander of Ruby's brawl with Roman's goons was playing.

"S-Signal Academy," Ruby replied nervously.

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" Ozpin sounded both impressed and mildly surprised by her handling of the scythe.

"Well, one teacher in particular," Ruby replied with a small smile.

Ozpin gave a wry grin in return. "I see." He placed the plate of cookies on the table in front of her, and Ruby looked up at him questioningly, as if asking for permission. Cautiously, she took a cookie off of the plate and ate it, and when there was no response, she began to hungrily devour the delicious treats.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty old crow."

"Oh! That's my uncle!" Ruby mumbled through her full mouth, before swallowing and repeating herself. "Sorry," she began again with an embarrassed giggle, "that's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete _garbage _before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like _hwaaaaa! Wtchaaa!_" She began to make small karate moves with her hands.

Ozpin smiled despite himself. "So I've noticed," he remarked as he switched between watching the screen and the innocent girl in front of him. He leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"Well," Ruby answered sincerely, "I want to be a Huntress."

"You want to slay monsters?" Ozpin questioned.

"Yeah!" Ruby said energetically. "I only have two more years of training at Signal. Then I'm going to apply to Beacon." The girl began to talk faster as her excitement grew. "You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, 'Hey, I might as well make a career out of it!'" She giggled. "I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and gosh, y'know?!" She gushed at the end, her voice rising high with excitement and awe.

Ozpin and Glynda looked at each other. While Glynda continued to regard Ruby with a tired look, Ozpin had a mischievous gleam in his eye that accompanied his smile. Turning back to Ruby, he asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Having regained her composure, Ruby smiled sheepishly and replied in a more controlled voice, "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the Headmaster at Beacon."

"Hello," said Ozpin good naturedly.

"Nice to meet you," replied Ruby.

"You want to come to my school?" Ozpin asked.

Ruby replied in a pleading voice, "More than anything!"

Ozpin and Glynda traded glances again. Glynda gave a small, "Hmph!" and rolled her eyes in disdain. Ozpin turned back to the girl. "Well, okay," he said.

Ruby's face was shocked, and then her mouth widened in a beaming smile.

* * *

The next week, as they were waiting for takeoff aboard a large airship, Ruby was having the breath stolen from her lungs by a crushing hug from her older sister, Yang Xiao Long.

"Oh, I can't believe that my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" Yang exclaimed. "This is the best day ever!"

"Please stop!" Ruby gasped as she squirmed in the tight embrace.

"But I'm so proud of you!" came Yang's reply as she released her sister.

"Really, sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is gonna think you're the bee's knees!"

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees,' okay? I don't wanna be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

"What's with you?" Yang asked, surprised by her younger sister's lack of enthusiasm. "Aren't you excited?"

Ruby sighed as she replied. "I am, I just… I got moved ahead two years, okay? I don't want people to think I'm special or anything." It was true. Ozpin had allowed Ruby to skip two years of training at Signal Academy and apply to Beacon at the same time as Yang, even though at only fifteen; she was still going to be two years younger than any incoming freshmen.

Yang, it appeared, didn't see any problem with the situation. "But you _are _special!" she encouraged, pulling Ruby into a more gentle, one-armed hug.

From behind them, they heard a news bulletin on the Vale News Network running, and Ruby, hearing something familiar, turned to face the viewscreen. On screen was a pair of mugshots of Roman Torchwick, and the announcer was currently reporting, "The robbery was led by the nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information about his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa!"

The screen switched to Lisa Lavender, the main anchor for the news show, as she replied to the reporter, "Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted–"

The TV suddenly winked out, and in its place stood a hologram of an older blond woman that was very familiar to Ruby.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon," the hologram began.

"Who's that?" wondered Yang aloud.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch," the woman continued, and Yang quietly said, "Oh," as her question was answered.

Glynda's image continued. "You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With that, the recording disappeared, and people began to crowd to the windows as the city of Vale shrank beneath the slowly rising airship.

"Woah!" Ruby gasped, joining the ones looking out the glass. "You can see Signal from up here!" she said over her shoulder to Yang. "I guess home isn't so far away after all."

Yang came up behind her and smiled. "Beacon is our home now."

Behind the girls came the noise of someone trying valiantly not to be sick. The sisters turned to see a blond-headed boy in jeans and a hoodie covered by a metal breastplate holding his hands over his mouth as he ran for a bathroom.

"I guess the view isn't for everyone," Yang remarked as she rolled her eyes.

Ruby shrugged. "It was a nice moment while it lasted." She turned her gaze out the viewpoint again towards Beacon Academy as it gradually grew closer and closer to them. "I wonder who we're gonna meet!" she said, voice filled with wonder. Then, she had a thought that crinkled her nose. "I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy." Suddenly, she realized that it wasn't just a thought. Something smelled bad. She looked down to the floor and suddenly exclaimed, "Eww, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe."

Yang looked down, and the color drained from her face. "Gross, gross, gross, gross!" she began repeating as she looked desperately for a sink. Ruby began backing away, saying, "No, eww, get away, get away from me!"

As all this happened, the airship was gradually getting ever closer to Beacon Academy, where the girls, and the rest of the new students, would be calling home for the next four years. The future seemed bright, and Ruby could barely await the adventures that it had in store for them.


	6. The Shining Beacon

**Chapter Two: The Shining Beacon**

The airship gently came to a slow halt as the doors began to open. Several other airships were arriving to their left and right, with students disembarking to begin heading towards the school.

As Ruby and Yang exited the ship, Ruby watched in mild amusement as the boy who had been sick on the ship ran to the nearest garbage can and hunched over it. The poor young man had not enjoyed the flight nearly as much as the other students, and it was being reflected by his uneasy stomach.

Ruby turned her attention away from the sick boy to gaze upon Beacon. The school's tall tower loomed over her, and in front of the school was a vast courtyard, at the center of which stood a fountain spouting water from decorative statues of a Huntsman and Huntress standing triumphantly over a Grimm. Above the school rose Beacon Tower, one of the four transmitting towers of the Cross Continental Transmit System, that glowed with a green light just barely visible through the clouds. Ruby and Yang both were unable to suppress an awed "Woah" as they took in the majesty of the school.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this," Yang stated matter of factly.

Ruby started chattering excitedly as her gaze turned from the school to the students. "Ohmygosh! Sis, that kid's got a collapsible staff. Oh, and she's got a fire sword!" Ruby was pointing left and right and was about to rush over to more closely appreciate some of the weapons when she felt herself being tugged back by her hood. "Ow. Owww!"

Yang smiled at her sister's childlike glee. "Easy there, little sister. They're just weapons!"

"'Just weapons?'" Ruby replied incredulously "They're an extension of ourselves, they're a part of _us_! Oh, they're so cool!"

"Well, why can't you just swoon over your own weapon?" Yang responded with a roll of her eyes. "Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby unfolded the giant scythe and hugged it affectionately to herself. "Of course

I'm happy with Crescent Rose," he replied, calling the scythe by the name she had given it. Most students named their weapons. "I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better…"

Yang grinned as she pushed her sister's hood down over her head. "Ruby, come on. Why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

Ruby pushed back her hood, confused. "But… why would I need friends if I have you?"

Yang looked sheepishly at her sister. "Well…" Suddenly, she was completely surrounded by a large group of students. "Actually, my friends are here, gotta go catch up. 'Kay, see ya, bye!"

Yang's group took off, even as Ruby shouted frantically after her, "Wait, where are you going? Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?" Ruby shook her head, disoriented by Yang's sudden disappearance. "I don't know what I'm doing here…" Off balance and a little bit tired, Ruby fell backwards… right into someone's cart of luggage.

As Ruby looked up, another girl was standing over her. The girl was dressed in an all-white, billowy dress and vest, with a long, white ponytail that trailed down her side almost to her waist held up in a sparkling tiara. A short but deadly looking rapier was attached to her left hip, and she was currently glowering down at Ruby.

"What are you doing?" the girl in white demanded.

"Oh, sorry!" Ruby exclaimed as she raised herself onto her hands.

"'Sorry?!'" the girl repeated incredulously. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?"

Ruby got slowly to her feet and attempted to offer one of the cases to the other student, not sure how to respond to the tirade. The girl snatched the case from Ruby's outstretched hand.

"Give me that!" demanded the angry student as she took the case. She opened it in front of Ruby and took out a vial of red, fire-type Dust, which she began to shake for impact as she ranted. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee quarry."

"Uhh," Ruby mumbled, still unsure of what to say.

"What are you, brain dead?" the girl continued rudely "_Dust!_ Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

"I… I know," Ruby began.

Some of the material seeped out of the vial as it was shaken, forming a red cloud around Ruby's head that began irritating her nose. Desperately, she began struggling not to sneeze.

"Are you even listening to me?" her accuser continued. "Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself.

Ruby was still struggling, but she was fighting a losing battle. She finally let out a sneeze that sent the cloud of Dust around her head up in a burst of flaming energy. The vial that the girl had been shaking went flying across the courtyard, where it landed at the feet of another girl, this one dressed all in black and wearing a matching bow in her hair. She knelt to pick up the vial without looking up from her book, then looked over to where the girl in white, now covered in soot, was heading straight into another rant against Ruby.

"Unbelievable!" the by-now infuriated girl snapped as she shook the soot off of herself. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

Ruby nervously played with her fingers. "I'm really, _really_ sorry!" she apologized.

The girl in white snorted with contempt. "Ugh! You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well, I-I—," Ruby stuttered before being abruptly cut off again.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice you know! We're here to fight monsters, so… watch where you're going!"

Ruby was finally getting frustrated. She had been trying to be polite while apologizing for a simple mistake. It was no reason for this girl to get so upset over. "Hey, I said I was sorry, Princess," Ruby replied in a fed up voice.

"It's heiress, actually," came a new, soft voice from behind them both. They both turned to see the girl in black with the bow walking slowly over to them, Dust vial in hand. "Weiss Schnee," the newcomer continued, "heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellent in the world."

The girl named Weiss' mouth broke into a smug smile. "Finally, some recognition!"

However, the girl in black continued, "The same company infamous for its controversial labor policies and questionable business partners."

Ruby began to snicker as Weiss floundered, "What? How dare—the nerve of—" Unable to think of a response, Weiss merely snatched the Dust vial from the girl's outstretched hand and stormed off with an outraged "Ugh!"

Ruby watched the other girl as she fumed away, calling after her, "I promise I'll make this up to you!" To herself she muttered, "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." Suddenly, a thought occurred. She may have made Weiss angry, but that was no reason she couldn't start over with this new girl. "So, what's…" Ruby began as she turned to the girl in black, but she trailed off when she saw that the mysterious girl had already turned and was walking away.

Frustrated and disappointed, Ruby sank to her knees and gave a forlorn sigh. Slowly falling to her back again, she looked up into the sky and muttered sadly to herself, "Welcome to Beacon." She closed her eyes with another sigh. Suddenly, she sensed a shadow falling across her face. She opened her eyes again and looked up to see a familiar blond boy with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand standing over her.

"Hi," the boy said as she took his hand. "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby," replied the young girl as she was helped to her feet. Ruby looked him over. Short, scraggly blond hair, long jeans that ended above a pair of worn sneakers, and a black hoodie that was hiding beneath a white breastplate. With a start, Ruby remembered where she had seen the guy before.

Struggling to hold back a smile, Ruby asked, "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the plane?"

* * *

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" Jaune said later as they were walking down a path through the school's gardens.

Ruby laughed. "Look, I'm sorry, Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh, yeah," Jaune replied indignantly, "well, what if I called you Crater Face?"

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Ruby protested.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc," Jaune said. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Ruby, skeptical, replied, "Do they?"

"They will!" Jaune replied. "Well, I-I hope they will. My mom says that…" Becoming a bit flustered and embarrassed, the young boy cut off abruptly. "Never mind."

Ruby laughed a bit, and then there was an awkward silence between them. Ruby, happy to have finally found someone friendly, tried to think of something to talk about. "_Well,"_ she thought to herself, "_we are gonna be training to become Huntsmen. Might as well get his specs."_

"So, I've got this thing," Ruby said as she unfolded Crescent Rose.

Jaune, startled by the sudden movement and sound, jumped back a bit. "Woah!" he exclaimed. "Is that a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!" Ruby said proudly.

"Umm, what?" Jaune asked, confused.

Ruby smiled at his confusion. She cocked the weapon for emphasis and replied more simply, "It's also a gun!"

"Oh."

"So what've you got?"

"Oh, I, uh," Jaune, impressed by the large weapon, seemed rather bashful as he pulled out a small sword from a sheath he had been wearing on his belt. "I got this sword."

Ruby, being polite, as well as liking to observe new weapons, let out an interested "Ooohh."

"And I've got a shield too!" Jaune continued as he withdrew his sword's scabbard from his belt and hit a hidden button that transformed it in his hand into a broad shield.

Ruby reached out and touched the shield. "What does it do?"

However, as her hand made contact with the metal, it nudged Jaune's hand against the hidden button, and the shield reverted in his hand, causing him to cry out in surprise and fumble with the shield before bringing it back under control.

Once he had recovered and replaced the sheath on his belt, Jaune said, "The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just… put it away."

"But… wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked.

Jaune's shoulders slumped tiredly as he replied, "Yeah, it does."

Ruby giggled at the boy. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons so… I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it," she admitted, referring to Crescent Rose, which she had since put away.

Jaune looked at her in disbelief. "Wait, you _made _that?"

"Of course!" Ruby replied brightly. "All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune appeared a bit embarrassed. "It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Sounds like a family heirloom to me," Ruby joked with a giggle. Seeing Jaune's face fall, she quickly followed up with, "Well I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

Jaune smiled appreciatively at her as he sheathed his sword. "Yeah, the classics."

They began walking again, and Ruby asked him, "So, why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?"

Jaune shrugged. "Eh, why not? My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet!'"

Ruby thought about it. She guessed it made sense. Well, sometimes, she corrected as she thought back to the altercation with Weiss. "Hmm." A sudden thought occurred to her, and she stopped walking. "Hey, where are we going?"

Jaune stopped walking beside her and looked at her in surprise. "Oh, I don't know! I was following you. Y-you think there might be a directory?"

Ruby giggled again.

Jaune continued. "Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark?" Upon noticing Ruby's quiet snickering, he asked, "Is, uh… Is that a no?"

Ruby, with another quiet giggle, replied, "That's a no." They turned back around and began to walk back towards the school, hoping to see something along the way that would give them a hint as to where they should go.


	7. The Shining Beacon, Pt 2

**Chapter Three: The Shining Beacon, Part 2**

The auditorium hall of Beacon Academy was filled with incoming students bustling to find friends. As Ruby and Jaune entered, Ruby caught sight of her sister waving to her from the midst of a large group of people.

"Ruby! Over here, I saved you a spot!" Yang called over the din.

"Oh!" Ruby said in relief. Her sister, the one person she needed right now. Turning to Jaune, Ruby hurriedly said, "Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" With that, Ruby took off towards her sister.

Jaune watched her go, despairingly, calling after her, "Hey, wait!" The cry faded away, and he sighed. "Ah, great," he muttered to himself, "where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?" He walked away, not noticing a girl behind him dressed in bronze armor with a striking red ponytail, who was regarding him thoughtfully with her green eyes.

Ruby walked up to her older sister, an indignant expression on her face and her arms crossed. Yang looked her sister up and down and smiled. "How's your first day going, little sis?"

Ruby scoffed. "You mean since you ditched me and I _exploded_?"

"Yikes," Yang commented, "meltdown already?"

"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" Ruby said, thinking back to the confrontation with that Weiss girl. "And there was some fire, and, I think some ice?"

Yang smirked. "Are you being sarcastic?"

Ruby replied, "Ugh, I wish! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I _exploded_ and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, _really _bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me–!"

"_You!_" came a grating voice from behind Ruby. Ruby turned and gave a frightened squeak as she saw Weiss standing there behind her. She leapt into Yang's surprised arms as she cried, "Oh, God, it's happening again!"

Weiss stood there with her hands on her hips as she regarded the sisters with disdain and annoyance. "You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff.

Yang's eyes widened as she finally realized what was going on. "Oh my God, you actually exploded."

"It was an accident!" Ruby protested to her sister as she got down from Yang's arms. She turned to Weiss and again pleaded, "It was an accident!" However, Weiss thrust something forward to her before she could continue. Ruby backed up a bit and recognized the object as a small paper pamphlet. The title 'Dust for Dummies' was written across the top. "What's this?"

Weiss looked at her and quickly explained, "The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."

Ruby, unable to process the information that had come whizzing into her ears, responded with a confused, "Uhhh?"

Weiss fixed her with a cold stare. "You really want to make it up to me?" she asked.

"Absolutely?" Ruby replied tentatively.

In response, Weiss shoved the pamphlet into Ruby's grip and said, "Read this and don't ever talk to me again."

Yang, who had been watching the entire altercation, tried to jump in. "Look, uh, it just sounds like you two got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and just try to be friends?" she proposed.

Ruby brightened at the idea. "Great idea, sis!" she said as she put the pamphlet away. She turned to Weiss and extended a hand, clearing her throat. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

Weiss adopted a fake smile as she replied with mock enthusiasm, "Yeah! And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blond, and scraggly over there." She motioned with a thumb over her shoulder to where Jaune was standing alone by a wall. Hearing his name, he perked up, but unable to catch the rest of the sentence, he shrugged off whatever had been said.

Ruby, not picking up on Weiss' sarcasm, replied with a hopeful, "Really?"

Weiss' fake smile disappeared, and she glared at the younger girl as she coldly replied, "No."

The sound of a microphone being tapped cut off most of the conversations happening among the students in the auditorium hall. The students quieted and turned to the main stage where Ozpin had stepped up to a tall microphone stand with a black cane in hand, Glynda not far behind him. He straightened his glasses as he began to speak.

"I'll... keep this brief," he began solemnly. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Students began to whisper among themselves, puzzled over his words, but he continued after a brief pause. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With that, the man stepped back from the mic and walked off the stage, as Glynda stepped up to the stand.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Glynda turned and walked off the stage after Ozpin, leaving the students to begin filing out of the auditorium and head to the ballroom to unpack.

As she watched the two teachers go, Yang commented, "He seemed kind of… off."

Ruby nodded her head in agreement next to Weiss. "It's almost like he wasn't even there." Weiss said nothing, her eyes following the teachers as they exited the auditorium through a side door.

From the girls' left suddenly came Jaune, leaning into the group with the quick comment, "I'm a natural blond, you know," directed at Weiss. Weiss, in response, merely brought her hand to her head in exasperation at having to deal with the fools surrounding her.

* * *

Later that night, the large crowd of incoming students had all finally unpacked and were settled in sleeping bags and blankets on the floor of the ballroom. Most of them had already changed into sleepwear, and many were gathered into individual groups of friends or other cliques as they excitedly discussed what tomorrow's trials were likely to bring.

Ruby was laying on her stomach on top of her sleeping bag, thoughtfully writing something in a small notebook with her pencil. Her long pajama pants were a light pink, and her simple black shirt and matching eye mask were blown a bit by the air coming from a vent above her. Yang plopped down next to her on a sleeping bag of her own, dressed similarly in her sleepwear with a yellow shirt and black shorts.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said.

Without looking up from her writing, Ruby responded, "I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though."

With a smirk and a sly gaze, Yang remarked, "I know I do." She gave a half-joking purr as she admired some of the boys across the large room who had chosen to sleep shirtless tonight and were showing off bulging muscles to friends. However, Jaune walked into Yang's field of vision dressed in footie pajamas, and Yang groaned as he threw her a wave before turning her attention back to Ruby.

"What's that?" Yang asked, nodding towards the writing.

"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going," her sister replied.

"Awe, that's so _cuuuuuuute!_" Yang said, before a pillow came across to smack her in the face.

"Shut up!" Ruby complained. "I didn't get to take any of my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"Well, what about Jaune?" Yang asked. "He's…" an image of the footie pajamas flashed through Yang's mind, and she cringed, "nice. There you go, plus one friend!" She continued with a smile. "That's a hundred percent increase!"

Ruby rolled over onto her back and stared up to the ceiling. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend," she said sullenly, recalling yet again her encounter with the heiress. "Back to zero."

Yang, refusing to give up, replied, "There's no such thing as negative friends! You just made one friend and one enemy!" Ruby apparently didn't see her logic, because another pillow smacked her in the face. Tossing the pillow away, Yang fixed her sister with a sympathetic smile. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."

A small noise off to the side caught the sister's attention. Turning to one of the less populated portions of the ballroom, Yang saw a girl her age dressed in black pajamas and a matching bow on her head had just set down a lit candelabra on a small table and was holding a book in one hand, quietly reading by herself.

"That girl…" Ruby said thoughtfully.

"You know her?" asked Yang.

"Not really," Ruby admitted. "She saw what happened this morning, but left

before I could say anything."

Yang grinned as a thought occurred to her. Getting to her feet, she grasped one of Ruby's arms. "Well, now's your chance!"

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ruby said as she was yanked to her feet and pulled along behind her sister.

The girl with the book looked up as she heard the sounds of approaching students. Yang and Ruby were drawing near, with Ruby fighting in her sister's grip. Yang gave the mystery girl a wave and let out a sing-song, "Hello! I believe you two may know each other?"

The girl looked up at Ruby. A small glint of recognition flashed across her otherwise impassive face. "Aren't you… that girl that exploded?"

"Uh, yeah!" Ruby said, a sheepish smile on her face. "My name's Ruby! But you can just call me Crater…" Ruby stopped before she let loose the nickname that Jaune had given her, smiling in her embarrassment. The girl lifted an eyebrow. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby," she finished.

The girl shrugged and returned her eyes to her book, with a quiet, "Okay," being her only response.

Yang turned to her sister, quietly whispering through clenched teeth, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know, help me!"

"So," Yang began again, "what's your name?"

"Blake," the girl replied simply with an aggravated sigh, not looking up from her page.

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister. I like your bow!"

"Thanks," Blake replied, trying to project her irritation in her tone.

"It goes great with your… pajamas!" Yang continued, still trying to strike up conversation. Ruby gave a nervous giggle in the silence.

"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang said, refusing to give up.

"Yes," Blake said, as she raised her eyes to meet the sisters. "It's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book." She paused. There was no reaction from the girls. "That I will continue to read." The sisters still stood there, not moving. "As soon as you leave," Blake finished.

Yang turned to her sister and said audibly, "Yeah, this girl's a lost cause."

Ruby, however, was looking thoughtfully at the book Blake was holding. "What's it about?"

"Huh?" said Blake, surprised by the question.

"Your book," Ruby said, gesturing with a hand. "Does it have a name?"

"Well," Blake said haltingly, as if trying to gather her words, "it… it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Yang, who wasn't much for books herself, said offhandedly, "Oh yeah, that's real lovely."

Ruby, however, smiled a bit. "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… they're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"

Despite herself, Blake gave a quiet laugh. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

Ruby answered honestly with a smile. "Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books… Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

Blake smiled slightly. "That's… very ambitious for a child." Her smile became a frown as something seemed to occur to her. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairytale."

"Well, that's why we're here," Ruby replied, "to make it better."

"Oh!" said Yang, who had been listening intently to the entire conversation. Now, she wrapped her sister in a tight hug and hoisted her into the air. "I'm so proud of my baby sister!"

Ruby, flailing and kicking, cried out, "Hey! Cut it out!" The hug quickly devolved into a flailing wrestling match between the sisters as Blake quietly watched it play out before her and laughed quietly.

"Well," she said, "Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to ha–"

"What in the world is going on over here?" came a shrill voice that cut Blake off. "Don't you realize that some of us are trying to sleep?"

Despite her hair being out of its usual ponytail and being in her sleepwear, there was no mistaking the new arrival. Weiss' eyes flared up in recognition at the same moment as Yang's. "Oh, not you again!" both girls said in unison.

Ruby, desperately trying to diffuse the situation, came between the girls with her arms up. "Shh, guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!"

Weiss angrily turned to her. "Oh, so now you're on my side?"

"I was always on your side!" Ruby responded frantically.

Yang chimed in, "Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss protested.

Blake, who had tired of the pointless fighting and had decided that at this point she would get no new reading done tonight, simply blew out her candle on the table beside her, plunging their secluded little corner into darkness.


	8. The First Step

**Chapter Four: The First Step**

Sleep the night before had been good, but though he was usually an early riser, someone across the ballroom had been having a loud fight last night, and it had kept him up for a bit. His eyes blearily opened a few times, and he was able to make out the shape of someone leaning over him. The next time he blinked, there was more focus, and he could make out orange hair and a pair of bright, turquoise eyes. He knew who it was even before his vision fully cleared, and with a groan, Lie Ren fully awoke to the sight of his longtime friend, Nora Valkyrie, leaning over him with a beaming smile on her face.

"Wake up, lazy butt!" Nora exclaimed as she dashed to the side, hyperactive as always. Ren sat up and sighed as Nora pranced around him, singing, "It's morning, it's morning, it's morning, it's morning!"

Later, as Ren brushed his teeth in the mirror of the preparation room where they had stored their weapons the previous day, Nora was still chattering away. "I can't believe that we've been at Beacon for a full twenty-four hours! Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything; I mean, you're the perfect student, and I… well, I'm me! But it's just crazy, y'know!"

The chatter continued as they began to pack up their things. "We've been friends for _soooooooo_ long! What are the odds we'd still be together? Well, not 'together-together…' Not that I'm not saying that you're not handsome; you _are_ handsome, but that'd just be weird, right?"

Nora had quite the habit for talking, which contrasted with Ren's more quiet and calm personality, but it was something that he had adapted to and even come to appreciate over the years. Still, when Nora was still going later at breakfast, not even stopping as she slurped down her pancakes, even he began to fear that this would be a long day.

With a pancake hanging from her mouth, Nora continued. "Right! What was I thinking? But still, I hope we end up on the same team together!" She swallowed the pancake hanging from her mouth in a large smack. "Oohhhh! We should come up with some sort of plan, to make sure we end up on the same team together! What if we bribe the headmaster? No, that won't work. He has the school."

As they headed back to the locker room, Ren smiled to himself and shook his head. Nora had never been one to be at a lack for words, and she was displaying that quite vehemently this morning. As Ren reached into his locker and retrieved his weapons, a pair of twin bladed pistols that he referred to as Storm Flower, Nora's prattle went on.

"I know! We'll have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal!" She gasped. "A _secret_ signal so we can find each other in the forest! Can you imitate a sloth?"

"Nora?" Ren replied for the first time that morning.

"Yes, Ren?" Nora said brightly.

Ren stored his pistols in their inactive mode within his green coat's long white sleeves and turned to his pink-themed friend. "I don't think sloths make a lot of noise," he said simply.

Nora looked thoughtful for a moment, then her happy smile broke out again. "That's why it's perfect!" she cried. "No one will suspect we're working together!"

Ren smiled again at his friend's perky demeanor. "Come on, Nora, let's go," he said as he shut his locker and walked towards the door. Nora followed close at his heels.

"But not, 'together-together,'" she quietly clarified with a giggle as she followed him out the door. The duo brushed past Ruby and Yang, who looked at them over their shoulders as they walked out the door. Ruby watched them go, commenting, "Wonder what those two are so worked up about?"

Yang replied, "Oh, who knows." She looked to her sister, who was happily polishing her weapon. "So, you seem awfully chipper this morning!"

Ruby looked to her sister with a smile on her face. "No more awkward small talk or 'getting-to-know-you' stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." She stroked Crescent Rose fondly as she sighed.

Yang rolled her eyes at her sister. "Well, remember, Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."

Ruby groaned. "Ugh, you sound like _Dad!_" She shoved her weapon back into her locker and turned to address her sister. "Okay, first of all: What does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink _milk!"_

"But what about when we form teams?" Yang questioned.

Suddenly nervous, Ruby replied in an unsure voice, "Umm, I don't know, I… I'll just be on your team or something."

Yang brought her long golden hair over her shoulder and absentmindedly stroked it as she spoke. "Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?"

Ruby stepped up to her sister and looked her in the eye as she said, "My dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"

"What?" Yang said. "No! Of course I do! I just thought… I dunno, maybe it would help you… break out of your shell?"

Ruby's voice rose indignantly as she said, "What the– I don't need to 'break out of my shell'! That's absolutely–!"

"Ridiculous!" came the voice of Jaune as he inadvertently finished Ruby's sentence for her. In his hands he was holding a map of the lockers, which he was gazing down at in confusion. Clearly, the boy was lost. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?" As Jaune walked through the lockers, he walked past the forms of Weiss Schnee and a girl she was talking to, a girl dressed in bronze armor and a red sash around her belt, with a long red ponytail and piercing green eyes.

"So, Pyrrha," Weiss was saying to the girl, "have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!"

Pyrrha Nikos looked to Weiss and gave her a thoughtful look. "Hmm," she said in a gentle voice, "I'm not quite sure. I was just planning to let the chips fall where they may!"

Weiss looked to the other girl hopefully. "Well, I was thinking may be could be on a team together?"

Pyrrha smiled at Weiss. "Well that sounds grand!" she said kindly.

"Great!" Weiss said, turning away before Pyrrha could catch the smile of victory that flashed across her face. "_This will be perfect!" _she thought to herself. "_The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us now!"_

Weiss' thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Jaune as he stepped in between Pyrrha and Weiss. "You know what else is great?" he said to Weiss, answering before she could. "Me, Jaune Arc," he finished, pointing a thumb at himself.

"Ugh, you again?" Weiss said in disgust. Pyrrha, trying to be polite, came up next to Weiss and said, "Nice to meet you, Jaune!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jaune said, pushing her out of the way to approach Weiss more directly. "So, Weiss, couldn't help overhearing of your fondness of me the other day."

Weiss, thinking back to the auditorium, said, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

"Don't worry," Jaune said, trying to come off as suave while only increasing his dorkiness, "no need to be embarrassed! So, been hearing some rumors about teams! I was thinking you and me would make a good one. What do you say?"

Pyrrha stepped into the conversation again with a tap on Jaune's shoulder. "Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so–"

"You don't say?" Jaune said quickly as he turned to the red-headed warrior. "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and you could end up on the winning team!"

Weiss stepped between the two and addressed the blond. "Jaune, is it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"Not in the slightest, Snow Angel," Jaune said.

Though irked by the annoying nickname, Weiss continued. "This," she said as she gestured to the other girl, "is Pyrrha." Pyrrha gave a quick wave and cheerily said, "Hello again!"

Weiss went on, "She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum."

Jaune replied, "Never heard of it," which elicited an indignant scoff from the heiress.

"She's won the Mistral region tournament four years in a row, a new record!"

"The what?"

Weiss, becoming even more frustrated, waved her hands angrily in the air as she said, "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Jaune suddenly gasped in recognition. "That's you?" he said in an awed voice to Pyrrha. "But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters."

Pyrrha smiled. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you," she finished with a slight frown.

Weiss jumped back in. "So, after hearing all this, do you really think you're in a position to ask _her _to be on your team?"

Jaune hung his head with an embarrassed sigh. "I guess not. Sorry…"

Pyrrha walked forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Actually,

Jaune, I think you'd make a great leader."

Jaune looked at her and brightened immediately, saying, "Oh, stop it!" with Weiss not far behind muttering, "Seriously, stop it. This kind of behavior should not be encouraged!"

Jaune turned to the heiress. "Sounds like Pyrrha's on board for team Jaune," he

said with a grin. "Spots are filling up quick! Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, find a place for you?" He stepped forward. "What do you say?"

Weiss put up a hand. "Alright, that's a bit too close." Looking over the blond's shoulder, she gave a pleading expression as she said, "Pyrrha, a little help, please?"

All Jaune saw was a flash of bronze and red as he turned before he was catapulted through the air past Weiss. Pyrrha stepped forward after the direction she had thrown her weapon, a long spear that she called Miló, to pin the unfortunate boy to the wall by his hoodie with remarkable accuracy.

"I'm sorry!" she called after him.

The PA box on the wall crackled to life, and Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, Weiss, Jaune, and the remaining other students in the locker room listened as Glynda's voice came through the speakers. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." The intercom turned off, and the students began to file quickly out of the locker room with the sole exception of Jaune, who was still pinned to the wall by Miló. Pyrrha walked past him as she followed Weiss out of the locker room and the spear flew back to her hand, sending Jaune sliding to the floor.

"It was nice meeting you!" she said with a smile as she walked out. Jaune, for his part, remained sprawled by the lockers, still a bit disoriented. "Likewise," he said weakly as his head spun.

Ruby and Yang walked towards the unfortunate boy. "Having some trouble there, lady killer?" Yang asked smugly, hands on her hips.

Jaune shook his head. "I don't understand! My dad says that all women look for is confidence. Oh, where did I go wrong?" Ruby extended a hand to him, which he gratefully accepted as she helped him to his feet.

"'Snow Angel' probably wasn't the best start," Yang commented with a smirk.

"Come on, Jaune," said Ruby as she gave him an arm to help him out of the locker room, his pride more damaged than anything else as they made their way to the outside of the academy, where Beacon Cliff awaited.

* * *

Beacon Academy had been built on a large mountain that rose to look over the city of Vale, the kingdom's capital. However, the beautiful school overlooked another large piece of terrain from the back, one not quite as tamed or safe as the kingdom's busy streets. The Emerald Forest was a long stretch of green that went on for miles on end out past the cliff, and as the students looked out over the large expanse, each couldn't help but feel an excited thrill run through them as they contemplated what their initiation would entail.

Ruby looked past her sister to see the other students. Among the ones that she could recognize were Weiss and that red-haired girl from Mistral she had been talking to this morning; Jaune, whose face still hadn't completely lifted from the rejection in the locker room; Blake, looking as stoic and calm as ever as she surveyed the trees below them; and the pair of students in green and pink that had walked past her and Yang as they got ready this morning – Ren, she thought the guy's name was. There were several other students present that she didn't recognize or hadn't gotten to know yet. One thing was shared by almost everyone: the group was glancing from side to side, anxiously awaiting the beginning of the initiation trials.

Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch stood before them, Ozpin with a steaming glass of hot cocoa in his hand. As he called the students' attention, he said, "For years you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda stepped forward. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors as to the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be assigned teammates. Today."

Ruby gave a small, worried groan. "What? Ohh."

"These teammates will be paired with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin continued "so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well."

Ruby gave another concerned noise.

"That being said," the headmaster went on, "the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby's jaw dropped. "What?!" Whoever she saw first would immediately become part of her team? Concerned muttering and gasps broke out among the rest of the students as well, except for Nora, who turned to Ren with a happy smile and said, "See? I told you!"

Ozpin let the din die down, then resumed in his instruction. "After you have partnered up, make your way towards the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die."

Jaune, at these words, gave a nervous chuckle and gulped.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" the headmaster asked.

Jaune raised a hand tentatively. "Yeah, um, sir?" However, Ozpin missed the boy's hand and said "Good! Now, take your positions."

The students that weren't yet situated on the gray launch pads became so, and each assumed a ready position.

Jaune tried a second time to catch the Huntsman's attention, missing in the process Weiss as she was flung by the launch pad out into the open air above the forest.

"Um, sir? I've got, um… a question." Jaune scratched the back of his head, still unaware as more of the launch pads began activating down the line, sending student after student hurtling out over the Emerald Forest. "So, this landing… strategy, thing… Uh, wha-what is it? You're like, dropping us off or something?"

Ozpin regarded the young man with a serious expression. "No. You will be falling."

Taken aback as even more students began to fly through the air, Jaune responded, "Oh, uh, I see… so, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

"No," replied the headmaster again, "you will be using your own 'landing strategy.'"

A few spaces away, Nora was flung into the air, her cheerful cry fading away behind her as Ren was launched after her a moment later.

"Uh huh, yeah…" Jaune said, still a bit confused.

Ruby glanced to Yang beside her as her pad began to click, and her sister gave her a wink before she put on a pair of sunglasses and was thrown into the air after the previous students with a cry of "Woo hoo!"

Ruby was launched a moment later, the wind tearing at her cloak as the ground sank away and the trees moved swiftly beneath her.

Jaune began to say, "So, what exactly is a landing strategy?" before the pad underneath him sent him to join the rest of the students in the air and the last syllable was torn from him in a cry as he was hurled through the air, fading after him as he flew.

Ozpin watched the large group of students as they flew and tumbled through the air, taking a contemplative sip from his mug as he awaited their touchdown in the Emerald Forest.


	9. The First Step, Pt 2

**Chapter Five: The First Step, Part Two**

The long, green expanse of the Emerald Forest was surveyed by a single bird that soared over the bird chirped to itself, flying contentedly along, before its flight was abruptly ended with a squawk as it was knocked from the air by a flurry of red rose petals. "Birdy, no!" came a cry as the red and black bundle that was Ruby Rose flew towards the ground.

As she fell, Ruby looked to her surroundings. In the sky above and around her were fellow initiates who all seemed to be formulating a good plan for reaching the ground safely. Ruby decided on her typical way of movement during a combat situation and pulled out Crescent Rose, keeping the scythe in its rifle form as she fired off blast after blast to slow her momentum. As she began to approach the tops of the taller trees, she transformed the weapon and used its long blade to hook around a tree limb, halting her descent.

Weiss summoned multiple glyphs as she fell, hopping from one to another until she gently touched down in an isolated clearing within the forest. Behind her had been Lie Ren, who overshot her position as Nora hurtled past him at a higher speed. Using the curved blades of Storm Flower, Ren hooked himself onto a large tree trunk and spiraled down to the ground in circles around the wood, brushing himself off calmly when he reached the bottom. Hearing a playful shout above him, he glance up to catch a brief glimpse of yellow fire before Yang soared over him, propelling herself far across the forest with her gauntlets. She came down in a woody patch and tucked into a roll, coming up running with a quiet "Nailed it!" to herself.

Pyrrha held Miló, the long metal javelin, and Akoúo̱, her bronze shield, out in front of her as she crashed through multiple trees, the metal absorbing the shock of each impact. She came to a stop as she landed on a tree branch and quickly transformed Miló into its rifle form. She peered through the scope and watched as Jaune tumbled off into the distance, about to crash into the brush of the forest. Quickly returning her weapon to spear form, she gave it an extra boost from the rifle blast and sent it knifing towards the air towards Jaune. In the distance, a muted _thunk _was heard as the javelin connected with wood, and Jaune's shouted "Thank you!" from that area confirmed Pyrrha's assumption that she hadn't missed. Still, she felt bad for pinning the boy up for the second time this morning and shouted a quick, "I'm sorry!" towards the voice.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, the leaves rustled and fluttered as Ruby dropped to the forest floor, and began rushing through the bushes and other undergrowth in search of one person.

"_Gotta find Yang!"_ she thought desperately. "_Gotta find Yang, gotta find – _Yang?" she finished the thought aloud, calling her sister's name as she raced through the woods. As she ran, her mind began to race as fast as her legs. "_Oh, this is bad, this is really bad... What if I can't find her? What if someone finds her first?" _Ruby began to consider her other options. "_Well, there's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny!" _However, she frowned as she imagined them surrounded by a pack of Beowolves. "_...I don't think he's very good in a fight, though." _Another thought occurred to her. "_Ooh! What about Blake?! So mysterious, so calm... Plus she likes books!" _However, once again, she brought herself up short. "_Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her... Ugh!_ _Okay... Who else do I know in this school? There's Yang, Jaune, Blake, aaaand…"_

Ruby ran through a particularly rough patch of bushes and came to a slow halt as she regained her balance. Her eyes came up to reveal that there was someone else in the little clearing. Time seemed to slow as Ruby made eye contact with Weiss, and the two girls stared at each other for a long moment. Weiss looked at her, seemed to shake her head, turned on her heel, and walked off into the woods away from Ruby.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ruby called after her as she took a few steps to follow, before stopping and kicking at the ground dejectedly. "We're supposed to be teammates," she whimpered sadly.

Weiss was making her way through the overgrown patches of vines and brush with a few grunts as sticks or stickers scratched at her skin. She broke through into another clearing and brushed herself off with a relieved sigh, before she heard a muttered voice coming from above her saying, "Come on, come on! Stupid…!"

She looked up and, to her disgust, saw a struggling Jaune Arc, pinned to the tree by what appeared to be Pyrrha's javelin in his hoodie. Seeing the heiress beneath him, Jaune ceased in his efforts to get down and gave an embarrassed wave, before letting out a dejected sigh as Weiss once again turned away from the clearing.

Weiss made her way back to the other clearing, where Ruby was still sulking. Grabbing Ruby by the hood and dragging her behind herself as she walked, Weiss said with resigned annoyance, "By no means does this make us friends." Ruby merely replied with an overjoyed, "You came back!" as she threw her hands up in celebration, allowing herself to be pulled behind Weiss.

Jaune watched them go, waving his arms as he frantically called after them, "Wait, come back! Who's going to get me down from here?"

"Jaune?" came a voice from below, and he turned his eyes downward to meet the green gaze of Pyrrha, who was looking up at him with a small smile. "Do you… have any spots left on your team?" she asked shyly as she looked up at him.

Jaune crossed his arms and looked away as he replied, "Very funny." However, he turned his eyes back to her and gave her a smile of his own, which widened hers in turn as she prepared to help him get down.

* * *

As Ruby and Weiss walked away, Ruby called ahead to Weiss, who was determinedly marching through the undergrowth with a purpose. "What's the hurry?"

Weiss looked back and frowned with disdain. "I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow! I swear, if I get a bad grade because of your –"

Weiss was suddenly cut off as a flurry of rose petals enveloped her. When they cleared, Ruby was standing there in front of her with a smile on her face. "What the…?"

"I'm not slow, see?" Ruby said with a little laugh. "You don't have to worry about me!"

Weiss looked behind her, confused as to how the other girl had appeared so suddenly. "When did–?"

Ruby cut her off. "Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters!" Ruby came in close and pulled Weiss to her with an arm, with the heiress gazing uncertainly at the red reaper. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, 'Wow, that Ruby girl is really, really cool… and I wanna be her friend!'" With that, the younger girl took off into the brush in another burst of rose petals that Weiss swiped away from her face.

Weiss called after Ruby's disappeared form, "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" However, the other girl's voice didn't answer; in its place came a few crackling noises as something began to make its way towards the clearing through the underbrush. "Ruby?" called Weiss in concern, worried that her new 'teammate' wasn't responding. The sounds of leaves rustling and twigs snapping grew louder as whatever was approaching came closer. "Ruby?" Weiss called again, peering into the bushes.

Suddenly, a pair of bright red eyes lit up, and the snout of a large Beowolf appeared in front of her. Similar sets of eyes began to emerge across the clearing, and as the Grimm began to close in, Weiss called out again, this time in alarm, "Ruby!"

Weiss only response was a loud roar from one of the Beowolves as the pack moved ever closer, the growling howl echoing through the Emerald Forest.


	10. The Emerald Forest

**Chapter Six: The Emerald Forest**

"Hellooooo?"

Yang lowered her hands from her mouth and looked around as she strolled through the Emerald Forest. Her long blond hair swayed behind her with every step, shimmering in the small beams of sunlight that penetrated the woody canopy. "Is anyone out there? Hellooooo!" she shouted again.

She smirked. "I'm getting bored here!" she called out. A rustle from a nearby fern drew her attention. "Is someone there?" She walked to the small bush and pushed away the leaves obscuring her vision. "Ruby, is that you?" asked Yang.

A low, threatening growl was her only response. "Nope," she said to herself as she rolled to the side. As she dodged, a large Ursa, black, bear-like body covered in bony protrusions and armor. The beast roared at her, and she stared it down as she activated her bracelets. As Ember Celica grew to its gauntlet form on her wrists, she leaped backwards again to avoid another Ursa coming at her from behind her and landed next to its comrade. The two monsters looked at her with menace, and the first came forward to attack her.

Yang caught the beast mid leap with a fiery punch that sent it backwards, sprawling. As the first Ursa regained its footing, the second dashed forward, looking to succeed where the first had not. However, Yang easily dealt with this one as well, punching it into the air, then delivering a powerful kick to its midsection that sent it backwards to the other creature.

Yang smiled at the two beasts. "You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?" she asked.

The monsters paid her question no heed as the lead Ursa let out another roar. "You could just say no!" the blonde quipped.

The monster charged again, swiping at the boxer with its long, white claws. Yang dodged the first and flipped backwards to avoid the second as it sailed harmlessly past her face.

She came up laughing. "Geez! You two couldn't hit the broad side of a buh…" Yang trailed off as she noticed something floating slowly down to the forest floor in front of her face. Her eyes widened as she watched a lock of her precious hair drift lazily to the ground.

"You…" Yang said with a cold tone. Her eyes flashed red, and the creatures, puzzled by her sudden anger, stopped to regard her.

"You monsters!" Yang screamed as she launched herself forward into the nearest Grimm, catching the beast off guard with the sheer ferocity of her sudden attack. She threw punches left and right, gauntlets blasting with golden fire, until she sent the Grimm careening away through a patch of fiery tree, quite battered and dead.

She turned to the other Ursa, which had approached from behind during the attack but now came up short as it caught her murderous gaze.

"What? You want some too?" Yang cried, and the creature gave a roar. However, from behind it there was a wet _thunk_, and the roar turned into a surprised growl as it fell to the ground, a sharp, black pistol sticking up from the back of its head.

Blake Belladonna yanked on the long ribbon attached to the butt of the gun, and it came free from the dead creature's skull, flying back through the air to her where she caught it with practiced ease, before replacing it in its shroud on her back. She turned to Yang with a small smirk, taking in the sight of the aftermath of her rage.

Yang's breathing slowed, her irises returning to their normal lilac color. She gave a sheepish sigh. "I could've taken him."

* * *

Weiss was pushed backwards a few meters by the large Beowolf's swipe, deflecting the attack with Myrtenaster. She readied herself as the pack encircled her, going through the steps in her head and adjusting accordingly.

"_Remember your training, Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward – not that forward!" _she chastised herself. "_Slow your breathing wait for the right time to strike." _Her eyes narrowed, the tip of her rapier pointed at the beast's heart. "_And…" _

She dashed forward, preparing to run the Grimm through. However, a red and black blur suddenly appeared in front of her, wielding a large scythe that slashed across the creature. "Gotcha!" Ruby cried out.

Weiss' eyes widened as she gasped, and in an effort to avoid hitting the girl with the attack, she stumbled and thrust her sword away, sending the wave of fire that she had gathered in the blade away towards the treeline, where a dry trunk was set alight by the energy,

Ruby looked backward in surprise as the wave of fire passed by her, distracted by the sudden movement. In response, the creature she had been attacking came at her with a slash of its own, and she was nearly struck as she barely brought Crescent Rose up in time to block. However, the force sent her sliding back into Weiss, where they both took a moment to regain their footing.

"Hey, watch it!" Ruby said over her shoulder.

Weiss gave her an incredulous glare. "Excuse me? You attacked out of turn! I could have killed you!"

Ruby muttered under her breath, "You'll have to try a lot harder than that."

The two teens surveyed the pack as it surrounded them. Ruby dropped into a crouch as she cocked her weapon, waiting in a combative stance for the first attack. However, Weiss was looking at the damage her misfire had caused. The fire had begun to spread from tree to tree, and all around the clearing, smoke was beginning to fill the air as the forest lit up. Weiss grabbed Ruby's arm and began to pull her along as the pack began to howl. "We have to go!" cried the heiress. As they ran through a gap in the fiery trees, the Beowolves, afraid of the fire, continued howling and began a retreat of their own.

A few minutes later, with the smoke from the burning clearing rising into the sky behind them, Ruby and Weiss had their hands on their knees as they caught their breath. Ruby looked back at the black fumes as they rose.

"What was that?" the reaper demanded. "That should have been easy!"

Weiss looked up at her with contempt. "Well, perhaps if you had exercised even the _slightest _amount of caution with the placement of your strikes, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby scoffed.

"I'm just surprised someone who talks so _much _would communicate so _little _during an encounter!" Weiss snapped back.

"Well, I'm sorry you need my help to win a fight," Ruby said. "I'm just fine on my own!"

Weiss snorted. "Well, congratulations on being the strongest _child _to ever sneak your way into Beacon. Bravo!" She threw her hands up in the air as she walked away through the bushes.

Ruby let out a frustrated cry as she sliced through a nearby tree with her scythe in an effort to vent her anger, before following after the other girl, seething. So absorbed were the two in their fight that they never noticed the gigantic feather that drifted slowly to the ground behind them, fallen from the sliced tree.

* * *

In another part of the Emerald Forest, the pair of Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc crept warily through the brush, keeping a careful eye out for any Grimm, or fellow students.

In the distance, what sounded like energy blasts sounded off, the sound echoing loudly through the forest and startling a pair of resting birds above their heads.

"Did you hear that?" Jaune said, looking back to the noise.

Pyrrha tilted her head up as the echo faded away. "Gunfire. It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."

Pyrrha moved forward again, Jaune close behind her. Perhaps a bit too close, because, as Pyrrha pushed past a particularly dense bush and moved a stiff tree branch out of her way, the twig snapped back and caught Jaune right in the face, knocking him to the forest floor with a groan. He held is hand to his face where the branch had hit him, a small gash appearing on his cheek.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said as she looked back. "I'm sorry!" she sheepishly said. The phrase was becoming a habit today.

Jaune laughed a little as he brought his hand down to see if there was blood. Seeing none, he told her, "It's okay. It's just a scratch." He stood back to his feet.

"Why didn't you activate your Aura?" asked Pyrrha with a cocked eyebrow.

"Huh?" replied the blond.

"Your Aura."

"Gesundheit."

Pyrrha gave him a smile. "Jaune, do you… know what Aura is?"

"Pff, of course I do!" Jaune replied, waving off the question even though it was clear that he didn't know. "Do _you _know what Aura is?"

Pyrrha smiled and began to explain.

* * *

Lie Ren walked calmly through the Emerald Forest on his own. He had yet to run into anyone else in the forest. He listened for any indication of another person. He stopped suddenly.

Far away, Pyrrha was saying, "_Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?"_

Ren gazed around his clearing, scanning left and right.

"_Uh, yeah," _replied Jaune.

Ren narrowed his eyes. From behind him rose a towering black form that revealed itself into the long, snakelike body of a King Taijitu, with a mouth full of large, sharp fangs and glittering red eyes. The creature coiled its massive body around the young man and looked down to the center of its coils, where Ren had adopted a fighting stance, waiting for the first attack.

Pyrrha walked around Jaune. "_With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals."_

"_What about monsters?"_

Ren leaped to the side as the snake's head crashed down where he had been standing. "_No,"_ Pyrrha continued as Ren leaped up onto the snake's head, "_the monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity." _Ren crouched down low as the creature once again encircled him, before leaping high, unleashing his twin pistols and firing Storm Flower at the monster. "_They are the darkness, and we are the light."_

"_Right,"_ Jaune replied. Ren slashed at the large snake's head and kicked the snout. "_That's why we fight them."_

"_It's not about why," _Pyrrha told him, "_it's about knowing." _Ren flipped over the snake's thrust and sank both his blades into the back of its head, momentarily stopping it. However, he sensed the new presence behind him as the snake's second head, this one white, rose behind him, sensing the attack on its other half. The King Taijitu was joined in the middle by a tough strip of flesh that attached the two separate bodies to each other, meaning that the creature had two separated heads. "_Understanding dark and light helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both."_

The white head dipped towards Ren, and he dodged as the first head regarded him. The monsters hissed in unison, and the black snake rushed forward. He jumped onto its head again, blasting at the white snake as he did. "_By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura." _Ren was knocked off of the black snake's body by the white head, dropping Storm Flower in the process. The twin pistols flew from his hands as the black head came down with a sudden swiftness, jaws open, fangs gleaming. Ren raised his arms over his head.

In their own clearing, Jaune's eyes suddenly widened as he realized what had been said. "It's like a force field!"

Pyrrha looked at him and gave a small chuckle. "Yes, if you want to look at it that way."

Ren was grasping the large snake's head by its teeth, holding it at bay with brute strength, Aura flickering as he grasped the sharp bones. With a sudden movement, he snapped the fangs off, holding them in his hands. The creature hissed in pain, and flailed its head forward in an effort to crush the small animal that had hurt it. However, Ren sidestepped the attack and drove one of the creature's own teeth into its eye as it fell forward, slamming it in with such force that the head rapidly expanded and then exploded. Recovering Storm Flower from where they had fallen, Ren ran to the other, still living head.

* * *

Pyrrha walked close to Jaune and placed a hand on the side of his head, the other on his shoulder. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."

Jaune, slightly nervous, replied shakily, "Uhh… Okay."

Pyrrha smiled, but as she closed her own eyes, the smile faded into a look of concentration. Her skin began to glow, and her eyes opened widely again as she activated her own Aura. A red glow appeared around Pyrrha, energy that turned a brilliant white color as it entered into Jaune.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in wisdom and unbound by death." She placed a gloved hand on Jaune's chest. "I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." With that, Pyrrha seemed to slump, and the red energy around her disappeared.

Jaune, still glowing, called out in concern, "Pyrrha?"

Straightening, Pyrrha reassured him. "It's all right. I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that now protects you is your own." She watched with a small smirk as the cut on Jaune's cheek closed up. "You have a lot of it."

The glowing faded gently, and Jaune stared at his hands as it completely vanished. "Wow…"

* * *

Standing atop the slain white half of the King Taijitu, Ren brushed himself off from the battle. Suddenly, from behind him came a strange noise, like an animal's call, but from a girl's lips. A very familiar sounding girl. Ren turned and watched as Nora, hanging from her legs to a tree branch, came into view, an upside down smile on her face as she giggled.

Ren gave his partner a wry smile. "I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like."

Nora leaned forward and tapped him on the nose with a playful "_Boop!"_ in response.


	11. The Emerald Forest, Pt 2

**Chapter Seven: The Emerald Forest, Part Two**

Wind was whistling up and over Beacon Cliff as Ozpin stood surveying the forest. He glanced down at his tablet, switching between students as he measured their progress.

Glynda approached him from behind, wielding a scroll of her own. On her screen, Nora Valkyrie dangled upside down from a tree and playfully poked her partner, Lie Ren, on the nose. "The last team has been formed, sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy. I can't possibly see those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos." The visual feed switched to show the pair of Pyrrha and Jaune as they trekked through the woods.

Glynda sighed. "I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." She deactivated the scroll and turned away from the cliff, leaving the headmaster staring down at his own screen. "I guess we'll find out soon enough," she said over her shoulder. "At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes." Glynda turned back to the silver-haired man. "Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year? Professor Ozpin?"

Ozpin didn't reply. A thoughtful "Hmmm" escaped his lips as he watched the scene playing out on his tablet. On screen, Ruby Rose was sitting cross legged in a clearing, picking at grass and fallen leaves as Weiss Schnee paced back and forth, seemingly trying to get her bearings.

* * *

"It's definitely this way," Weiss said as she began walking in a certain direction. She stopped short. "I mean… this way," she said as she turned around, "it's _definitely _this way!" She stopped again and came to a stop in front of the seated girl. "Alright, it's official. We passed it."

Ruby stood up, her annoyance written on her face. "Weiss, why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?"

"Because I know exactly where we're going," Weiss protested. Her voice became uncertain as she continued, "We're going… to… the forest temple!"

Ruby gave an exasperated sigh.

In response, Weiss said, "Oh, stop it! You don't know where we are either!"

Ruby shot back, "Well, at least I'm not pretending like I know everything!"

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" the heiress snapped.

"It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!" Ruby said in her face.

Weiss sighed to herself. Turning on her heel, she called angrily over her shoulder, "Just keep moving!"

Ruby began to mimic Weiss in a high-pitched voice. "'_Oh, just keep moving! Hurry up! Waaah! Watch where you're going!'" _She switched back to her normal voice. "Why are you so bossy?"

Weiss turned at that, indignation flaring on her face. "I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!"

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

"Stop acting like a kid!"

"Well, stop acting like you're perfect!"

"I'm not perfect!" Weiss shouted. She calmed herself and regained control of her voice. "Not yet," she said, quieter. "But I'm still leagues better than you." With a scowl, Weiss turned away and began to once again make her way through the brush.

Ruby's face fell, and her mouth twisted into a sad frown as she watched the other girl walk away. "You don't even know me."

* * *

A tall, stone structure had come into view below. In the center of a large clearing, the forest temple awaited. Large, grey stone bricks supported by a large ring of chiseled columns formed the structure, and the stone was covered in moss and overgrowth, indicating its age. The structure seemed to be the ruins from some past culture, but there was no way to be sure.

From their perch on the hill overlooking the clearing, Yang and Blake took in the sight of the monument. In the stone semicircle of columns and brick, several pedestals were standing straight up, though from this distance, it was impossible to tell what was on them.

"You think this is it?" Yang asked her new partner.

True to form, Blake didn't speak, but merely regarded the golden girl with a look that said, "Obviously," as she began to make her way carefully down the sloping hill.

When the two girls reached the bottom, they approached the temple warily, keeping an eye out for Grimm. Once they were inside the ring of columns, they took a moment to examine the gold and black objects that rested on top of each pedestal.

Blake looked down at the item. A small, wooden game piece, painted black and with a cross on top. Clearly, the item was a king piece. "Chess pieces?" she mused in confusion.

Yang looked around too. There were other pieces on the other pedestals, some different, others similar to Blake's. However, a few pedestals bore no chess pieces. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here."

"Well, I guess we should pick one," Blake said.

* * *

"Think this is it?" Jaune asked as he and Pyrrha looked deep into the mouth of the cave. They had stumbled upon the cave a few moments ago, and Jaune wondered if perhaps the relics were inside.

"I'm not sure this is it," Pyrrha responded a few minutes later as they walked through the darkness. Jaune has found a sturdy branch from outside that he had fashioned into a makeshift torch, and her was currently lighting their way through the cave. However, Pyrrha had noticed something as he had gotten the fire lit. On the side of the cave had been scrawled messily a scene that crudely depicted humans with spears surrounding some sort of beast. The warning had made her less than optimistic about entering the cave, but she had decided to at least examine it.

Jaune sighed. "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me? For like, five more feet?"

Suddenly, Jaune fell forward. A large rock that he had missed due to the gloom of the cave had tripped him up, and he felt water splash onto his face as he fell into a small puddle, the torch sputtering out from the water.

He got back to his feet, still able to feel Pyrrha next to him. "Do you… feel that?" she asked.

Jaune made a small attempt at humor. "Soul crushing regret?"

"No. It's… warm."

* * *

"Hmm," Yang said, as she surveyed the chess pieces. She came to a stop in front of a pedestal with a small, golden knight piece resting on top. She turned to Blake.

"How about a cute little pony?" she asked brightly.

Blake shrugged with a small smile. "Sure."

They each pocketed one of the small wooden horses as they met in the middle of the temple.

"That wasn't too hard," remarked Yang.

"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find," Blake replied with a smirk.

* * *

In the cave, Jaune and Pyrrha felt their way along the walls, trying to find a familiar place. Suddenly, in front of Jaune, a golden glow appeared. A large, curved object that glowed gold in front of them seemed to hover in the air.

Jaune's face lit up. "That must be the relic!" he exclaimed.

Pyrrha hung back a bit. Something about the object appeared slightly off. She could swear that she had seen it somewhere before.

Jaune tried to grab the object, but it retracted from his outstretched arms. "Hey!" he complained. "Bad… relic!" He took another swipe at it, before grabbing onto it with both arms. "Gotcha!" However, as he did so, he was yanked off his feet by the object, and Pyrrha finally remembered where she had seen the supposed 'relic' before. "Jaune?" she said carefully.

In front of Jaune, there were suddenly several small, red lights that glistened in the darkness. Between the shaking of the relic and his own distraction, it took him a moment to realize that those lights were eyes that were attached to a long, bony face. The large face was lined in red, and had a mouth of serrated mandibles clenching beneath it.

* * *

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

A shrill scream echoed across the forest. Yang turned towards the sound, concern on her face as she said, "Some girl's in trouble! Blake, did you hear that?"

Blake didn't answer her partner's question, eyes fixed skyward at a rapidly approaching blur.

* * *

Whimpering cries of fear escaped the mouth of the cave. As Pyrrha exited the darkness, Miló already in hand, the stone around the cave exploded outwards. From the darkness emerged a terrifying Death Stalker, a large, scorpion-like Grimm that had sharp jaws and enormous frontal claws. From behind, its long tail rose over its head, and dangling helplessly from the golden stinger at the end of that tail as he wailed in fear was Jaune Arc.

Pyrrha turned towards the insectoid. Jaune was tossed from side to side as he hung on tightly, sobbing all the while, "Why? Why? Pyrrha! This is not the relic! It's not!"

Pyrrha called out to him from below, "Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let–"

Suddenly, the large tail snapped forward, and Jaune's pitiful cries faded away as, for the second time that day, he was slung out over the Emerald Forest.

"–go," Pyrrha finished futilely to herself, as she turned to regard the large creature. The scorpion hissed at her threateningly, claws snapping. Pyrrha gave it a sheepish smile, but without any backup, she was outmatched, and she took off through the trees, sprinting after the direction Jaune had been thrown while the monster behind her began its pursuit.

* * *

Back at the temple, Yang was still worried. "Blake, did you hear that?" she asked as a second scream was heard. She turned to her partner. "What should we do?"

Blake was still silently looking up as she pointed a finger to the object of her interest. Yang looked up, and her eyes widened as she recognized a small girl falling towards the earth above them, steadily closing in on the ground.

"Heads uuuuuuup!" Ruby shouted as she hurtled downward, desperately trying to slow her fall.


	12. Players and Pieces

**Chapter Eight: Players and Pieces**

The wind was quicker here than it had been even on their first flight from Beacon Cliff, and as her long ponytail was blown wildly behind her and she gripped tight to her ride, Weiss Schnee failed to keep all the fear out of her voice as she shouted out, "Ruby! I told you this was a terrible idea!"

Ruby looked back, the black feathers of their ride blowing wildly by her head. "We're fine! Stop worrying!" the reaper shouted back.

"I am _so _beyond worrying!" the heiress yelled.

Ruby thought for a moment. "In a good way?" she called over the winds.

"In a bad way!" came Weiss' reply. "In a very bad way!"

"Well, why don't we just jump!" called the younger girl.

"What are you, insane?!" Weiss cried.

Ruby was already gone. In frustration, Weiss shouted at her, "Oh, you insufferable, little red–!" Ruby didn't catch the rest as she began to fall back to the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the large clearing housing the forest temple, Yang turned to Blake. "Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?" Blake pointed upwards. Yang looked up and was shocked to see Ruby hurtling towards them, a cry of "Heads uuuuuuuup!" streaming from her mouth.

However, before the girl could crash to the ground, she was intercepted by another airborne person, who sent both of them careening into a nearby tree. Ruby slammed into the trunk, knocking her head against the wood. "Ugh, what was that?" she moaned dizzily, before shaking her head to clear it. She looked up and noticed the person that had hit her dangling upside down from the branches, gently swaying in front of her.

"Hey, Ruby," came Jaune's sheepish greeting as he hung there.

Watching the duo in the tree, Blake looked to Yang in confusion. "Did your sister just fall out of the sky?"

Yang, equally confused, began, "I–"

The boxer was cut off, though, as something appeared to be approaching through the brush at the edge of the clearing. A large Ursa appeared, swinging its claws with a menacing roar before an explosion and a joyful "Yee-haw!" brought it crashing down. From the creature's back appeared Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, both seeming to have ridden the creature to the clearing.

Nora, taking in the dead Ursa, seemed upset that her ride had stopped working. "Aww, it's broken," she complained, standing atop the creature's head. "Eww."

Ren was breathing heavily from having to hang on to such a wild ride. "Nora," he said as he gasped, "please… don't ever do that again."

When he looked up, however, his pink friend was nowhere near him. Instead, she had quickly zipped over to the temple where Yang and Blake stood watching her and Ren with wide eyes.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed as she looked at a small, golden rook piece on one of the pedestals. She tossed the piece in the air and balanced it on her head, saying in a sing-song tone, "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

"Nora!" came Ren's annoyed cry, the first time that day that his calm demeanor had slipped. With a giggle, the girl called, "Coming Ren!" and skipped back to help out her green companion.

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked, still confused.

Events were happening too quickly. Yang once again tried to answer. "I–"

However, she was once again cut off as something else crashed through the treeline on the opposite side of the clearing. She and Blake turned to take in the sight of Pyrrha Nikos, javelin in hand, sprinting into the clearing with a large Death Stalker on her tail, knocking over large trees as it arrived. She leaped over one of the large claws as it took a swipe at her, retrieving her shield from her back as she did. "Jaune!" she called out, relieved to see him hanging, seemingly unhurt, from the tree.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted back, likewise thankful to see that she was alright.

"Woah!" said Ruby as she took in the sight of the large monster that had entered the clearing. She dashed off the branch and leaped down to the ground, leaving a struggling Jaune to call after her plaintively, "Ruby!"

Ruby ducked into a roll and came up next to Blake and Yang in the center of the stone structure.

Seeing her sister, Yang said in surprise, "Ruby?"

Ruby, who had yet to see her sister that day, cried out joyfully, "Yang!" and prepared to pull her older sister into a hug.

However, the hug was interrupted as Nora sprung up between them suddenly. "Nora!" cried the pink girl as the sisters went, "Gahh!" at being cut off.

Pyrrha was still being chased by the Death Stalker as Blake, by now getting tired of this, asked Yang, "Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?"

Yang had been getting angrier as so many things happened at once, and her clenched fists were trembling at her sides. Finally, she couldn't restrain herself as she briefly lost control and her eyes turned red with her frustration. "I can't take it anymore!" she cried. "Can everyone just chill out for _two _seconds before something crazy happens again?"

Yang breathed heavily for a couple of seconds as Ren came over to the group. Ruby cautiously replied, "Uhh, Yang?" She pointed up to the sky, similar to how Blake had mere minutes before. Yang, still not completely calmed down, slumped in defeat as a loud screech sounded above them.

In the sky, Weiss, who had seen the entire scene play out from her bird's eye view, shouted, "How could you leave me?" as the creature that she and Ruby had ridden to the temple on circled the clearing. Weiss held on with one hand to the clawed toe of a Nevermore, a large, feathery Grimm that resembled a raven, with glowing red eyes and a bony white faceplate like all Grimm. The Nevermore screeched as it circled the clearing, attracted by the action below.

"I said 'jump'!" Ruby shouted up to the heiress as the entire group, save Pyrrha, looked up at Weiss' plight.

"She's gonna fall," said Blake.

"She'll be fine," Ruby replied

"She's falling," Ren said.

Jaune, who had just gotten himself unstuck from the tree, watched as Weiss began to plummet down. Seeing an opportunity, the young man leaped forward, catching the girl in his outstretched arms.

"Just dropping in?" he said smoothly, before they both looked down and realized that they were still falling. His eyes widened as he shouted, "Oh, God… No!" before falling flat on his face on the ground below. He began to get up, until Weiss plopped unceremoniously down onto his back. "My hero," she said sarcastically

"My back!" Jaune gasped in a strained voice as, in the background, Pyrrha still ran from the giant scorpion.

A lucky strike caught Pyrrha across the back and sent her flying through the air, where she landed at the feet of the others. Yang, who was still a bit flustered, said sarcastically, "Great, the gang's all here! Now we can die together!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ruby said with a determined smile as she activated Crescent Rose, then began to dash forward to the Death Stalker.

"Ruby, wait!" cried Yang, extending a hand towards her younger sister as the reaper let out a "Yaaaah!"

Ruby fired off her scythe a few times at the creature, but the shots seemed to have no effect on its tough armor and it swiped her back with its claws. Thrown off balance, Ruby regained her footing and called out to Yang, "D-don't worry! Totally fine!"

Ruby fired a few more shots at the approaching monster, before wisely choosing to abandon the fight as the creature began to pursue her, sheathing the scythe on her back as she ran.

"Ruby!" Yang cried, face pale as she raced to her sister

Above her, the Nevermore circled, and with a screeching cry, the bird flapped its wings downward, sending several of its sharp feathers towards the fleeing reaper. Most of the feathers missed their mark, but one struck true and caught Ruby by the cape, nailing her in place as the deadly scorpion drew closer.

"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang cried frantically as the feathers cut her off from her sister.

Ruby yanked hard on her cape, attempting to dislodge the sharp quill of the feather. "I'm trying!" Behind her, the Death Stalker came ever closer, and as Ruby looked back in helpless fear, the stinger rose high above her head and prepared to come down in a killing blow.

"Ruby!" Yang cried out, reaching futily between the feathers for her sister, too far away to do anything. However, as the stinger came down, a white blur zipped past Yang and came to a stop in front of the cowering Ruby.

"You are _so _childish!"

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, confused that she wasn't dead. In front of her, the heiress stood with her rapier drawn, having summoned a large wall of ice from her weapon that had frozen the tail in place before it could make contact with Ruby. She turned to face the stuck girl as she continued.

"And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style!" The heiress' angry expression seemed to shift to apologetic as she went on. "And I admit that I can be a bit… _difficult_… but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if _you _quit trying to show off, I'll be… nicer."

"I'm not trying to show off," Ruby said. "I just want you to know I can do this."

For the first time since she had met Ruby, Weiss genuinely smiled. "You're fine," she said to the reaper with a hand on her shoulder, before she walked back past the feathers. Ruby sighed as a small smile played on her lips. "Normal knees," she whispered to herself.

As Ruby got back to her feet, she took in the sight of the large Death Stalker as it tried to tear its tail free of the ice that held it captive, shaking its massive body from side to side. "Woah," she breathed, fully appreciating the size of the monster. As she began to walk back, Yang took the opportunity to leap forward and wrap Ruby in a tight hug that she didn't try to escape from.

"So glad that you're okay!" Yang said, squeezing her tightly and letting out a breath, knowing how close she had come to losing her sister. The two girls stared at each other for a moment, then looked to the sky, where the giant Nevermore still circled with a deadly screech.

* * *

Once everyone had regrouped and recovered from the quick series of events, Jaune pointed to the sky. "Guys, that thing's circling back! What are we gonna do?"

Weiss stepped forward. "Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." The group of students took a moment to observe the multiple pedestals still holding chess pieces.

"She's right," Ruby agreed. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and get back to the Cliffs. There's no sense in fighting these things."

Jaune smiled. "Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind!"

Ruby and Jaune stepped forward. Each took a chess piece, Ruby choosing a golden knight like her sister, while Jaune drew a golden rook similar to Nora's. Behind the group, the Death Stalker, still struggling in its bonds, began to crack the ice holding its tail. Seeing this, Ren said "Time we left!"

"Right," said Ruby to the group. "Let's go!"

Everyone moved except for Yang, who was watching with a smile as Ruby leaped up onto a boulder and motioned the group forward. Blake stopped beside her. "What is it?"

Yang, still proudly smiling, simply said, "Nothing," before she also began to take off after the rest of her friends.

* * *

The group of eight ran through the Emerald Forest, emerging from the treeline to see a long stretch of grass leading to a set of cliffs. The taller one on the far side of the chasm held Beacon Academy at the top, and bridging the gap between the two was another stone structure, built of dark bricks and pillars. The stone had cracked with age, giving the large temple an ancient feel.

Above them came a screech, and as the group turned their heads, they watched the Nevermore from the clearing swoop down towards them. Quickly, everyone concealed him or herself behind some fallen bricks or large rocks from the forest as the creature came to a stop on top of the large temple and perched on a rocky ledge, cawing loudly into the air.

"Well that's great!" Yang complained.

Jaune heard a noise from behind, and he cried out, "Oh, man, run!" The group followed his lead as the Death Stalker emerged behind them from the treeline. As they scattered, the action drew the attention of the Nevermore, which took flight again, surveying the battle taking place down below.

"Nora, distract it!" Jaune called out, pointing to the flying beast. Nora nodded as she ran from her cover, jumping through a storm of the creature's sharp feathers as she took out her weapon, a hand held grenade launcher she had dubbed Magnhild. The large gun made popping noises as her Dust bullets, a pink heart emblazoned on the tip of each, came launching from the barrel to bombard the large Grimm in the sky.

However, as the bird stopped the attack and began to once again circle the battle, the Death Stalker crawled up behind Nora and prepared to strike. Nora turned just in time to see Ren and Blake performing a cross slash across the creature's face with their weapons, and Weiss came down next to her. Using a gravity glyph, she propelled both of them to safety while the creature began to attack Blake and Ren.

The two retreated after their comrades, who were currently crossing the long bridge that connected the temple to their portion of the cliff. The view downward was dizzying, as small bits of rubble from the skirmish tumbled down to the mist-obscured floor of the chasm.

"Go, go!" cried Pyrrha to the duo as they raced past her, using Miló's cover fire to retreat as the scorpion drew near. Ren fired backwards as he ran, but still the monster came forward, forcing the team to run again.

The eight young warriors sprinted for the central structure of the temple, but before they could make it, the Nevermore swooped in again, its massive body crashing through the bridge. On one side, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Nora, and Jaune were tossed high and landed close to the larger building; on the other, Pyrrha, Ren, and Blake battled against the scorpion, backs against the wall as they were separated from their friends. Ruby fired a few shots at the now departing bird.

Blake rushed forward, but was batted backwards by the Death Stalker's long claws. Jaune looked desperately across the gap in the bridge, crumbled stone falling into the abyss below him. "Man, we've gotta get over there! They need help!"

Nora came up to his side, Magnhild in hand. "Let's do this!"

Jaune looked down nervously. "Yeah, but I can't make that jump."

In response, Nora gave a mischievous grin as she knocked the blond backwards with her weapon, then transformed it into its melee form, that of a large, metal warhammer. With a cheery laugh, she jumped into the air, hammer wielded over her head. Jaune saw what she was about to do and cried, "Oh, wait!" However, it was too late. Nora brought her hammer down on the bridge, catapulting the boy across the gap. She followed close behind with a "Whee!" as she clicked her weapon's trigger, using the recoil to propel herself to the other side after him. Nora came in hot, with a powerful blow to the scorpion that drove the creature backwards. The stinger came down towards the pink girl, but she clicked her trigger again, launching herself backwards before it could make contact.

However, when she landed, Nora knocked into Blake, who had been standing at the very edge of the collapse bridge. With a grunt, Blake fell backwards into the chasm. Seeing the Nevermore soaring high above her, Blake quickly threw her pistol up and lodged the sharpened blade into the bridge, using her ribbon to swing herself up through the columns that supported the ruins. The momentum carried her up to the bird, and she ran quickly down its back, making quick, vicious slashes with Gambol Shroud as she went. She jumped off and managed to land on the other side of the bridge, closer to the original structure, where Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were watching the bird as it circled.

"It's tougher than it looks," Blake said when she noticed that her attack had seemed to have no impact on the Grimm's flight.

"Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" Yang said with determination, pounding her fists together.

The four girls readied their weapons and began firing in unison, Dust rounds and energy flowing from their positions to meet the Nevermore in the sky. The bird took all of the blasts in stride, using the same tactic it had before to barrel into the portion of the temple the girls were standing on. As the rubble fell, the girls each had to scramble up collapsing pillars or bricks as the debris hurtled below them into the trench.

Ruby landed next to Weiss on a higher portion of the temple. "None of this is working!" the heiress said with frustration. Ruby, however, was thinking. She watched as Blake came to a stop on top of a large tower with her whip, and Yang propelled herself up to a similar one.

She turned to Weiss. "I have a plan. Cover me!" With that, she zipped away, and Weiss, looking at the arrangement of the other two, realized what reaper had in mind and readied her sword as she began blasting again.

Below the Nevermore and the group of girls, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren still battled against the Death Stalker, trading hits and dodging swipes.

"We gotta move!" Jaune shouted. As one, they rushed forward. Pyrrha slid under an attacking claw, using Akoúo̱ to block the limb as she slashed with her javelin. The other claw came in, but Jaune lunged forward and blocked with his own shield, allowing Pyrrha to attack the face again. While those two had the Grimm distracted, Ren had an idea. With a leap, he caught hold of the stinger and fired point blank into the joint between it and the tail, loosening the deadly weapon. Nora fired grenade after grenade into the creature's exposed openings, striking whenever it was turned towards her.

In front of her, Pyrrha hurled Miló at the creature's face, the tip of the deadly spear sinking into one of its red eyes. The insectoid hissed in pain, its tail swinging violently from side to side with such force that Ren lost his grip and was flung back towards the treeline.

"Ren!" Nora cried in concern.

Ren crashed into a nearby rock face and fell back to the forest floor, out of the battle for now from the hit.

Jaune noticed as Ren went flying and realized what he had been doing at the tail. He pointed a finger at the limply hanging stinger. "Pyrrha!"

"Done!" came the redhead's answer as she hurled her shield forward and through the stinger, severing it completely before the shield returned to her hand. The sharp tip of the venomous stinger penetrated the Death Stalker's head, and the creature roared ferociously.

"Nora, nail it!" Jaune commanded.

"Head's up!" Nora called to Pyrrha as she jumped on top of Akoúo̱. Pyrrha crouched down low, and then leaped up as Nora fired off Magnhild, propelling herself into the air with a gleeful giggle. Nora fired again to gain momentum and, spinning down, she slammed the hammer into the stinger, driving it completely into the monster's head. The force was so intense that the surviving section of their bridge crumbled, and as the Grimm began to tumble lifelessly down into the trench, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Nora leaped to safety, Nora firing off one more time to launch herself over. They landed on the side that they had come from, on the treeline of the Emerald Forest. Jaune landed on his back, Nora came to a screeching halt in a seated position, and Pyrrha managed to come down on one knee. Ren, having recovered from his hit, joined them, only to fall over in exhaustion.

One monster had been slain, but another remained. The still conscious Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha stood and watched as the other four girls battled the Nevermore across the ravine. Yang stood atop her column, firing blast after blast from Ember Celica at the bird. One shot connected hard with its head, drawing it towards her; however, as the beaked mouth opened in an attempt to swallow her whole, Yang leaped up and stood directly in the creature's mouth, using one arm to keep the beak from closing.

"I hope you're hungry!" Yang cried as she shot several charges, point blank, down the Nevermore's throat, before she leaped clear as the bird, disoriented from the attack, crashed into Beacon Cliff. Yang looked back when she landed and saw Weiss zipping forward, so she fell back to where Ruby and Blake were awaiting their moment.

The Nevermore attempted to right itself and fly away, but Weiss unleashed a wave of ice from Myrtenaster that froze the creature's tail to the cliff, even as it flapped its wings and tried to free itself. Weiss zipped away on her glyphs coming to a stop behind and between the two columns on top of which Blake and Yang stood. Blake threw her ribboned pistol over to Yang, who caught it and stretched it tight between the gap. Ruby fired her scythe with her feet on the blade and fell back onto the ribbon, stretching the fabric tightly as she sunk backwards. Weiss used another gravity glyph to keep her in place as she aimed.

"Of course _you_ would come up with this idea."

"You think you can make the shot?" Ruby asked.

"Hmph!" Weiss replied confidently. "Can I!"

Ruby waited. "Can you?"

""Of course I can!" the heiress snapped.

The Nevermore broke free from its icy bondage as Ruby was hurled forward, firing her blade behind her to give her even more speed. She landed on the cliff with the bird's neck trapped in her scythe. A path of Weiss' glyphs appeared up the side of the cliff, and Ruby ran up, her shout mirroring the bird's own pained screams as she dragged it up the side of the cliff. The screeches abruptly stopped when Ruby reached the top and her momentum propelled her blade straight through the Nevermore's neck. The headless body fell slowly down the cliff and landed with a thud at the bottom of the ravine.

Across the gap, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren looked on in awe as the body collapsed. Jaune managed an awed, "Wow!" The others were silent.

Ruby's cape billowed behind her in the wind, rose petals fluttering, as the other three girls looked up at her.

Yang gave a relieved sigh and said brightly, "Well. That was a thing!"

* * *

Applause swept through the auditorium as Ozpin solemnly addressed the four boys standing together on the stage. "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL." Ozpin pronounced the name as 'cardinal.' "Led by… Cardin Winchester!"

Ozpin moved on to the next group of four. "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR." The name was pronounced 'juniper.' Nora reached up to hug Ren with a laugh as the applause resumed.

"Led by… Jaune Arc!" the headmaster continued.

"Huh? L-led by?" Jaune stuttered in surprise. Ozpin gave him a small smile. "Congratulations, young man."

Pyrrha gave Jaune a playful punch to the shoulder that sent him to the ground. With a sheepish smile, she helped him back to his feet as Ozpin moved on to the last group of the day.

"And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long." The girls stepped forward at his behest. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY." He pronounced this team the same as Ruby's first name. "Led by… Ruby Rose!"

Weiss, who had been silently expecting herself to be the leader, was a bit taken aback by the headmaster's words. Ruby was similarly surprised, not even resisting when Yang pulled her into a hug and said, "I'm so proud of you!"

As the cheers continued, Ozpin gave the newly formed team a slight smile. "It looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."

* * *

Later that night, with the broken moon high in the sky, another individual was bring his plans together in an abandoned warehouse in Vale. Roman Torchwick's face was annoyed and frustrated as he angrily slammed down the Scroll in his hand, the person on the other end having hung up with a few strenuous tasks as their farewell. Sighing, the criminal took out his cigarette lighter and struck up his cigar, taking a deep puff as a door opened behind him.

Another man walked in, wearing a black hood and a gray mask that obstructed most of his face, with a white tunic covering his chest. He pushed before him a small wheeled cart, upon which rested several small cases. Roman fanned a wad of lien out for inspection, then placed the money on the table where the henchman could pick it up for his services.

"Open it," ordered Torchwick. The other grabbed a crowbar off of a nearby workbench and popped the top case's lid, displaying a glittering array of Dust crystals that sparkled like gemstones within.

Roman reached in and took hold of one of the blue crystals, examining the cut and quality as he puffed on the cigar. Behind him on the wall was a large map with several areas marked or emphasized. The words _Map of Vale_ appeared at the bottom of the sheet, and a large, prominent circle was displayed around a specific area: Beacon Academy.

Roman turned the crystal in his hands. His employer was making some hefty demands, demands that would require a lot of planning and manpower. The other had agreed to sort out all the planning. Which only meant one thing for Roman.

"We're gonna need more men…"


	13. The Badge and The Burden

**Chapter Nine: The Badge and the Burden**

Sun streamed in from the dorm room window. The glow created a warm spot wherever it touched. Weiss, lying in her bed, slowly opened her sleepy eyes with a yawn. She sat up, feet dangling over the bed, and stretched her arms. However, she was not prepared for the startlingly loud sound of a whistle being blown right next to her, and she fell off of the bed with a yelp.

Ruby stood over her, dressed in the mandatory Beacon Academy uniform with her cape tied around her neck, whistle in hand. With a big smile on her face, she announced, "Good morning, Team RWBY!"

From her spot on the floor, Weiss demanded, "What in the world is wrong with you?"

Ruby dodged the question. "Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business!"

"Excuse me?" Weiss said as she stood, brushing herself off.

"Decorating!" came Yang's voice, who stood holding a large armful of supplies and clothing, similarly dressed to Ruby. Blake stood beside her, also in the school uniform.

"What?!" cried Weiss.

"We still have to unpack," put in Blake, suitcase in hand. The suitcase suddenly fell open, spilling clothing and toiletries on the floor. "And clean."

Weiss was still scowling with her arms crossed. Ruby blowing the whistle again next to her didn't make her feel any better as she fell to the floor again.

"Alright!" Ruby said, "Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader, Ruby, have begun their first mission. Banzai!" she cried, pumping a fist in the air.

"Banzai!" mimicked Blake and Yang.

Weiss sighed and shook her head from the floor.

* * *

The next few minutes were full of unpacking and organizing. Yang hung up on the wall a poster of some band she was into. Weiss, on her side, hung up a painted portrait of Forever Fall, another forest outside of the kingdom. Blake was busily organizing her books, and Ruby, contemplating the window, decided to give the curtains a different style and cut through them at an angle with her scythe.

When at last they were finished, the girls looked at the room. There were pictures and posters on the wall, and the fixed curtains—for Ruby had discovered that she couldn't just damage school property—fluttered gently. However, in their haste, they had managed to get all of the room's beds pushed into a messy pile in the center of the room.

"This isn't going to work," Weiss said, now also dressed in uniform.

"It is a bit cramped," agreed Blake.

Yang suggested, "Maybe we can ditch some of our stuff?"

"Or we could ditch the beds…" Ruby mused. Her face lit up. "And replace them with bunk beds!"

Weiss, unsure, said, "Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous."

"And super awesome!" Yang cried.

"It does seem efficient," Blake put in quietly.

"Well, we should put it to a vote," protested the heiress.

Ruby chuckled. "I think we just did."

* * *

When they pulled back again, Ruby beamed in pride at what they had accomplished. Weiss' bed was resting on the floor to the left of the entry, and Blake's was on the right. Some of Blake's old books had been stacked on her bed's four posts, and on top of those sat Yang's bed. Meanwhile, her own bed had been suspended from some hooks and rope from the ceiling and had a large blanket thrown over the top like a tent.

"Objective: complete!" Ruby announced proudly.

Ruby jumped up onto her bed. "Now, the next order of business is… classes." She pulled out a textbook and pencil from behind her pillow, and opened it to look at her schedule. "Now, we have a few classes together today. At nine, we've got to be–"

"What?!" cried the heiress, cutting off their leader. "Did you say nine o'clock?"

"Umm…"

"It's 8:55, you dunce!" Weiss continued. With that, she sprinted out the door. Ruby, Blake, and Yang poked their heads out the door and watched Weiss running down the hallway. Across the hall, Team JNPR, who was bunked right next door to them, did the same. Jaune gave them a questioning look, but Ruby didn't have any time to address them as she shouted, "To class!" and took off after Weiss, Blake and Yang on her heels.

"Class?" Jaune said, before the entire team, off balance from crowding in the doorway, fell out into the hall. Jaune was the first one up, brushing himself off as he began to run after Team RWBY with a cry of, "We're gonna be late!"

In the courtyard, Ozpin and Glynda were surveying the last students as they trickled in for classes. Ozpin sipped at his coffee and tapped his cane softly on the ground as the teachers watched Teams RWBY and JNPR running for the entrance to the school. Glynda gave an annoyed glance at her watch, but neither teacher did anything.

* * *

"Monsters! _Demons!_ Prowlers of the night!"

Professor Port was their teacher for their last hour class on Studies of Grimm Activity. Port was a shorter, round-bellied man with gray hair and a long matching mustache. He wore a red suit with golden buttons, and his long olive pants tucked into simple gray boots. On the boards behind him, several pictures of various types of Grimm were sketched, with certain anatomical or physical features highlighted or circled. Above the boards, hung to the wall, was the professor's weapon, a large, double-bladed axe that doubled as a powerful musket.

Port was currently lecturing the students with an introduction into the course. "Yes," he went on, "the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as _prey. _Ha-hah!"

In the front row of the classroom, Blake and Yang both sat up, listening to the speech. Weiss had a small notebook out and was taking notes here and there. However, Ruby was softly snoring with her head in her hands until the professor's laugh awoke her with a start.

Port cleared his throat as no one laughed at his joke. "And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy. Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely _teeming_ with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." He looked to Yang with that one, giving her a small wink. Yang rolled her eyes at the gesture with a groan, as Port resumed. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what, you ask? Why, from the very world!"

At the back of the class, a student stood up and gave an enthusiastic, "Eyyyep!" Most of the others looked at him in confusion, and he sat down in embarrassment.

Port ignored the outburst. "That is what you are training to become! But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man… me! When I was a boy…"

From that point on, the speech seemed to devolve into a long series of ramblings from Port about personal experiences in dealing with Grimm. Weiss, now not taking notes, was still paying attention, until she noticed Ruby to her left intently drawing something on a sheet of paper.

In the background, Professor Port was saying, "...despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter,' he told me…"

Ruby showed her drawing to the rest of her team with a snicker. The paper displayed a lopsided drawing of the professor with crossed eyes and the name "Professor Poop" scrawled next to it. While Weiss looked annoyed, Blake and Yang laughed a little until the professor cleared his throat, clearly waiting for their attention.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer _tenacity, _and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

Weiss watched with growing frustration as Ruby continued to cut up. Currently, she was balancing an apple on a book with a pencil on her finger as Port said in the background, "The moral of the story? A true Huntsman must be honorable. A true Huntsman must be dependable."

Weiss glanced at Ruby again and was angered further when she saw that the other girl had fallen asleep again.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Ruby picked her nose, to Weiss' disgust.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port asked.

Weiss' anger had been building. The professor had just made a speech about how a Huntsman had to be everything that Ruby wasn't, and yet, this hyperactive girl had been assigned the leader over her! She couldn't stand for it. She _wouldn't _stand for it! Raising her hand, Weiss said loudly, "I do, sir!"

"Well then, let's find out!" Port answered her, as he stepped to the side. Behind him was a large cage that contained some unknown creature. Glowing red eyes glimmered from the darkness within, and the Grimm growled within its cage.

"Step forward, and face your opponent!"


	14. The Badge and The Burden, Pt 2

**Chapter Ten: The Badge and the Burden, Part Two**

Weiss had taken the time to change into her regular battle clothing, the white dress and skirt that she had worn in the Emerald Forest. Myrtenaster in hand, she awaited for the creature in the cage to be released, as her team cheered her on from their seats.

"Gooooo, Weiss!" cried Yang with a fist pump.

"Fight well," called Blake.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, "represent Team RWBY!"

Weiss turned angrily to her leader. "Ruby, I'm trying to focus!"

Ruby's face fell. "Oh, um… sorry."

Port, having retrieved his blunderbuss from the wall, stood next to the cage. "Alright!" he called out. "Let the match… _begin!"_ With that, Port sliced the lock open on the cage, and the beast burst forth, growling and snorting. The Grimm was a Boarbatusk, a medium-sized Grimm that resembled a wild hog and had two wickedly curved tusks protruding from its face. The Boarbatusk growled again and rushed at Weiss with speed unbefitting to its lumbering form.

Weiss deflected the attack with her rapier and rolled to the side as the creature skidded to a halt and turned. It stood back warily, taking it its foe as she did the same.

"Ho ho! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port said on the sidelines, axe at the ready in case things got out of hand.

Weiss glyphed her way towards the monster as it ran at her again, rapier pointed at its head. The Boarbatusk's tusks caught Myrtenaster between them, and Weiss was shaken from side to side by the hilt as the creature tried to get rid of the weapon.

"Bold new approach, I like it!" Port said.

"Come on, Weiss!" came Ruby's encouragement. "Show it who's boss!"

The comment distracted Weiss as she shot her leader an angry glare, and the hog used the opening to shake its head hard and rip Myrtenaster from the heiress's grip.

"Oh-ho!" cried Port. "Now what will you do without your weapon?"

The beast charged at Weiss again, and she rolled out of the way to let it crash into a sturdy desk. She dashed for where her weapon had fallen and scooped it up in a slide.

"Weiss, go for the belly!" Ruby advised from the sidelines. "There's no armor underneath–"

Weiss turned fiercely towards Ruby. "Stop telling me what to do!" she shouted.

The Boarbatusk began to rapidly roll towards Weiss, tusks transformed into spinning blades as it gained speed and drew near. Weiss summoned up a glyph that blocked the rolling Grimm's attack and knocked the creature off balance onto its back. She jumped into the air and used another glyph to send herself down towards the pig, ending it with a thrust to the stomach as it squealed and fell silent.

Weiss gave a relieved gasp as Port applauded her efforts. "Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress in training!" Weiss stood as she caught her breath and glared at Ruby, who continued to look downcast under the withering gaze.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," Port said as he looked at the clock. "Remember to cover the assigned readings and stay _vigilant!_ Class dismissed!"

Weiss gave Ruby one final look, then stalked angrily out of the classroom.

Jaune walked up next to Blake, Yang, and Ruby as they watched the heiress go. "Sheesh, what's with her?" he commented, more to himself than anything else.

* * *

Weiss' heels made quick clicking noises as she stormed away from Port's lecture hall. Ruby rounded the corner and ran to catch up with her teammate. "Weiss!"

"What?" snapped the heiress as she turned.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being–"

"What's wrong with me?" Weiss asked in indignant disbelief. "What's wrong with _you? _You're supposed to be a leader, but all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

"What did I do?" Ruby protested in confusion.

"That's just it!" Weiss continued in her tirade. "You've done _nothing _to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child and you've only continued to do so!"

Ruby pulled back a bit, hurt. "Weiss," she tried again softly, "where is this coming from? What happened to all that talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team."

"Not a team led by _you."_ Weiss let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "I've studied and trained, and I deserve better." She turned again and began to walk away. Ruby reached after her, but her hand fell back to her side at Weiss' next words. "Ozpin made a mistake."

Weiss walked out of hearing range, and Ruby slumped with a dejected sigh.

"Hmm." Ruby jumped in surprise at the sudden voice from behind her. She turned, and there was Ozpin himself, coffee and cane in hand. "Now that didn't seem to go very well," he said in a comforting voice.

Ruby turned to him, eyes meeting his even as her head turned down. There was a slight shine in her eyes as she asked, "Is she right? Did you make a mistake?"

Ozpin gave her a slight smile and chuckled. "That remains to be seen."

* * *

Weiss walked through the halls of the academy towards the main entrance, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Professor Port was standing on an outer balcony over the courtyard, watching the students exiting the school and the brilliant orange sunset over the skies of Beacon.

Weiss walked out to the balcony behind him. "Professor Port!" she called.

The older man turned, and she thought that a smile appeared under his mustache as he recognized her. "Ah, Miss Schnee! And to what do I owe this _fine _pleasure?"

Trying to approach her thoughts in an appropriate manner, Weiss began, "I… I enjoyed your lecture.

Port laughed his belly laugh. "Of course you did, child; you have the blood of a true Huntress in you!"

Weiss gave a slightly bashful smile. "You really think so?"

"Most surely!" the teacher exclaimed. However, when Weiss' face fell and a small frown appeared, Port switched gears, his voice a bit softer. "But something's troubling you."

"Yes, sir," Weiss confirmed.

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!"

"Well…" she hesitated. How could she put this? Might as well be direct. "I… I think I should have been the leader of Team RWBY."

There it was. She had laid her opinion out on the table. Port paused for a moment, as if thinking, and Weiss grew a hopeful smile.

"That's preposterous," the Huntsman said directly.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked the headmaster, confused.

Ozpin closed his eyes and gave a small shake of his head. "I mean, it's only been

one day. Ruby... I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them." The headmaster leaned in on his cane closer to her face. "Do you?"

* * *

"_Excuse me?!"_ Weiss said in disbelief.

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years," Port stated, "and the man's never _once _led me astray."

"So you would just blindly accept his decision even after seeing how _exceptional _I am?" Weiss demanded.

"With all due respect," Port replied in a measured voice, "your exceptional skill on the battlefield is only matched by your poor attitude."

Weiss jerked back as if she'd been slapped. "How _dare _you?!"

"My point exactly," the professor said. The comment drained the color from Weiss' face and halted the tirade that had been about to spill from her lips as she realized what he meant.

"I see a girl before me who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted," Professor Port told her.

Defensively, Weiss crossed her arms and replied, "That's not even _remotely _true!"

Port looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

Weiss' posture slumped slightly. "Well, not _entirely _true…" she acceded.

* * *

"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle," Ozpin told the young girl before him, "but a badge you wear constantly. "If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give _others _to follow you?"

Ruby gave a small appreciative smile at the headmaster's encouragement.

* * *

Port fixed Weiss with a pointed stare. "So the outcome did not fall in your favor. Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision?" Weiss, who had been looking down, met his eyes. "So instead of fretting about what you _don't _have, savor what you _do._ Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best _leader,_ but the best _person _you can be."

Weiss considered the wisdom that had been presented to her and gave a small nod with a smile.

* * *

Ozpin turned away from the reaper. "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby," he said over his shoulder as he departed. I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it."

Ruby watched as the headmaster turned the corner and disappeared, and then she turned around and continued walking to the exit, thinking hard about their conversation. As she walked by an open door, Ruby looked out and saw Weiss with her back to her leader, gazing at the sunset with a hand on her chin. Rather than call out to her, Ruby left her teammate to her own thoughts, the corner of her mouth turning upward in a tiny smile.

* * *

The door to Team RWBY's dorm swung open slowly and quietly, and Weiss walked into the room. Blake was in her bed, head on the pillow and body under the covers. Yang was similarly asleep, snoring quietly. Weiss walked over to her side of the room and lifted the blanket away that covered Ruby's bed. Weiss was momentarily surprised when she noticed that Ruby had fallen asleep on her open textbook with a pencil in her hand. Trying not to wake the other two, Weiss gently shook her leader.

Ruby came awake slowly, rubbing at her eyes, but then jumped up when she noticed Weiss standing next to her bed. "Weiss, I-I was studying and then I fell asleep; I'm sorry–"

Ruby was cut off as the heiress placed a hand over Ruby's mouth and put a finger to her own lips. Ruby quieted.

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asked, noticing a Beacon Academy mug on top of Blake's bookshelf.

Ruby, confused, fumbled for words. "I-I don't–"

"Answer the question!"

"Uh, cream and five sugars!" Ruby blurted out.

Weiss grabbed the mug. "Don't move." Her head sank under the bed, and a minute later, she reemerged with a steaming cup in her hand. "Here," she said as she handed it to the younger girl.

Ruby accepted it with an appreciative smile. "Umm… Thank's Weiss."

Weiss smiled back, until her mouth went down a bit in an apologetic frown. "Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader." She paused and smiled at the reaper. "Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll _ever _have!" The girls smiled at each other, and Weiss stepped away from the bed. "Good luck studying!" she said softly before she ducked under, only to reemerge a moment later and point to a question on one of Ruby's sheets of paper. "That's wrong by the way!"

She went down again, and Ruby looked down at the cup of coffee in her hands.

"Hey Ruby?" Ruby looked over to the door, where Weiss had a hand on the handle.

"Uh huh?"

The heiress smiled. "I always wanted bunkbeds as a kid." She closed the door, and Ruby, with a smile on her face, went back to studying her notes.


	15. Jaunedice

**Chapter Eleven: Jaunedice**

Jaune breathed heavily. He rested his hand on Crocea Mors as he tried to regain some strength, his shield hand sagging. Across the arena, Cardin Winchester, leader of Team CRDL, rested his large battle mace on his shoulder and laughed at Jaune's wearines. Cardin was still full of stamina, and he had been putting Jaune through the wringer for the past ten minutes.

Glynda Goodwitch watched from the side as a referee, and in the desks, students took in the practice match that was playing out between the two. Jaune's slight, stooped form and short blond hair contrasted harshly with Cardin's appearance. A large boy over six feet in height and broad shouldered, with chiseled features and short brown hair, Cardin was the jock of the freshman class. His grey armor lined with gold showed a large crest of a bird across his chest, and he hefted the large mace that Jaune would have crumbled under like it weighed nothing.

Cardin was also well known as a bully, accompanied by the stooges that made up the rest of his team, Sky Lark, Dove Bronzewing, and Russel Thrush, and he had set his sights on Jaune in the past few weeks.

Jaune had internally groaned when his name had been randomly drawn to face off against Cardin today, and he had been taking a beating. Summoning his strength, Jaune rushed forward suddenly in an effort to catch the larger student off guard, but Cardin sidestepped the maneuver and delivered a powerful blow to Jaune's shield that sent it spinning out of his hands and simultaneously knocked Jaune across the room.

Jaune got back to his feet and came at Cardin with only his sword, locking his blade with the hilt of Cardin's mace as the other pushed against him. As Jaune's muscles quivered under the weight of Cardin's assault, the other boy leaned in towards him and said in a low voice, "This is the part where you lose."

Jaune grimaced in defiance. ""Over my dead-"

Cardin interrupted the blonde with a knee to his stomach that doubled Jaune over, the breath knocked out of him. Jaune looked up to see Cardin towering above him, the mace prepared to come down in a crushing final blow.

"Cardin! That's enough!" came Glynda's sharp buzzer sounded and the lights came up as the disappointed Cardin threw Jaune a dirty look and slowly lowered his weapon.

Glynda walked onstage and tapped on her tablet, which was displayed on a larger viewscreen above the arena. "Students," she began, "as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match." Jaune pulled out his personal Scroll and looked at his Aura level. It had dropped down to a dangerous red, compared to the rest of his team, who were all in the green. "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now," Glynda addressed him. "Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"

Cardin snorted as he walked away. "Speak for yourself."

Glynda missed his comment as she turned back to the audience of students. "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing!" At the words, excited mini discussions broke out among the students. Weiss shook her fists with an excited smile and Ruby was quietly squealing, while Yang punched an enthusiastic fist in the air with a broad grin. "Those who choose to compete in the tournament will be representing all of Vale," Glynda finished, before the bell rang and the students were dismissed.

Pyrrha sat where she was, unmoving, a sad frown etched on her face as she watched Jaune sit where he had fallen, staring at the Scroll's stats in his hand and hanging his head with disappointment.

* * *

"So! There we were, in the middle of the night…" Nora began sinisterly.

"It was day," Ren put in.

Blake was reading her book like usual and was missing Nora's story. Yang, however, was listening with wide eyes. "We were surrounded by Urusai," Nora continued.

"They were Beowolves," Ren corrected again.

"_Dozens of them!"_ Nora cried as she leapt out of her chair. Around the table, the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR were eating their food. Pyrrha and Ruby both listened to Nora's tale with polite expressions of interest; Weiss, uninterested in what she viewed as 'childish stories', was filing her nails; and Jaune, still feeling down from his defeat at Cardin's hands, was pushing food back and forth on his plate.

Ren, who was used to Nora's exploits, leaned back in a stretch as he once again corrected, "Two of them."

Ruby and Pyrrha broke off from listening to Nora's story when they caught sight of Jaune, both wearing worried expressions at his demeanor. Nora, oblivious to her leader's dilemma, continued, "But they were no match! And in the end, Ren and I took 'em down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin coats!"

Ren sighed and took a sip from his mug. "She's been having this recurring dream for almost a month now."

"Jaune, are you okay?" came Pyrrha's gentle voice over the din of the cafeteria.

Jaune snapped out of his private thoughts with a start and replied, "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"

Ruby played with her fork. "It's just that you seem a little… _not_… okay."

"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously, look!" Jaune flashed his friends a reassuring smile and gave a thumbs up with a nervous laugh.

A chorus of laughter came from a few tables over. The two teams turned to see Team CRDL surrounding a small Faunus girl with rabbit ears. Ruby had met the girl once or twice since initiation and knew that her name was Velvet Scarlatina, and that she was a year ahead of all of the other initiates. She had been a freshman the year before and was a member of the sophomore Team CFVY, pronounced 'coffee.' Currently, Cardin and his lackeys were making fun of Velvet's Faunus bunny ears with their fingers and laughing at her. Had Velvet's good friend Coco Adel been there, Cardin wouldn't have dared, as Coco was very protective of her friend. However, Velvet was more soft-spoken, and she simply stood there sadly as the boys made fun of her.

"Jaune," Pyrrha said insistently, "Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school."

"Who? Cardin Winchester?" Jaune laughed. "Nah, he just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"

"He's a bully," Ruby stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, please, name _one_ time that he's 'bullied' me!" Jaune replied.

"Well, what about yesterday when he knocked your books out of your hands in the hallway?" Pyrrha suggested.

"Or when he triggered your shield to expand when you were walking into a room so you got blocked?" Ruby put in.

Even Weiss took a measure of sympathy on the boy. "Or when he locked you in your own locker and launched you off campus?" The students had each been assigned a personal locker in which they could store their weapons or battle gear for when it was necessary that could have coordinates for a specific location programmed into it and then launched to that location. This was in case any field trips out of the kingdom into places like the Emerald Forest or Forever Fall turned ugly and a student had forgotten to bring his or her weapon.

Jaune remembered what they meant. As a joke, while Glynda had been explaining the lockers' function, Cardin had quickly shoved Jaune into his own and typed in a random set of coordinates that launched him off of Beacon's main campus.

However, the blond boy shrugged off their allocations with a laugh. "I didn't land far from the school."

Pyrrha gave him a pointed look. "Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask."

"Ooh!" Nora exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat again with a smile on her face. "We'll break his legs!"

While the group regarded Nora's… extreme solution, Jaune drew their attention back. "Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's just a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everybody."

A cry of pain issued from the direction of CRDL's table. "Oww, that hurts!"

The teams turned again to watch as Cardin took hold of one of Velvet's rabbit ears and tugged painfully on it. "Please, stop!" the Faunus girl asked meekly.

Cardin snickered. "I told you it was real," he said to his team.

"What a freak!" agreed Russel Thrush with a nasty grin.

Cardin finally released Velvet, and the girl hurriedly walked away from the boys and past both of the other teams. Her head was down, and Pyrrha thought she saw a drop of liquid fall to the floor as Velvet hurried away. She glared at Cardin's back. "Atrocious," she muttered, "I can't stand people like him!"

"He's not the only one," Blake agreed in a dangerous, low voice, mirroring Pyrrha's look

Yang stared after Velvet's departing form, holding her head up with an elbow. "It must be hard to be a Faunus," she sighed.

Jaune stood from the table, having barely touched his food but not feeling hungry. He looked back at his friends and sighed as he walked to the garbage and walked out, not noticing as Cardin's gaze fixed on him with a sinister smile as Jaune exited the cafeteria.


	16. Jaunedice, Pt 2

**Chapter Twelve: Jaunedice, Part Two**

Jaune snored softly on his textbook as class went by. He hadn't fallen asleep until late last night, and he was too tired today for Professor Oobleck's hyperactive lecture.

Professor Bartholomew Oobleck was the teacher of the History of Remnant course at Beacon Academy, and even before they had enrolled in their classes, some of the older students had informed JNPR of Oobleck's… unique… energy. The professor was well known for his quick speaking and even quicker movements, and was almost never seen without his thermos of coffee.

Currently, Oobleck was zipping around the classroom in the middle of a lecture. "Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution – more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite _adamant_ about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." The professor pointed to Remnant's smallest continent in the far right and far down corner of a map of Remnant. He quickly moved to the side for a sip of his coffee, before he began again. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively _recent_ events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" He took another pause to sip his coffee. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"

Several students slowly and cautiously raised their hands. Velvet was among them.

Oobleck shook his head. "Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is _precisely_ this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" He took sip of coffee again. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Weiss raised her hand in the front row. "Yes?"

Weiss adopted a smug smirk as she proudly replied, "The Battle at Fort Castle."

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage that the Faunus had over General Legune's forces?"

Behind Jaune, Cardin, who had been sitting with his feet kicked back, flicked a paper football at the sleeping student, causing Jaune to wake up. "Hey!" Jaune said as he was rudely awakened.

Before he could react, Oobleck appeared in front of him. "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent!" The teacher spoke so quickly that there was almost no pause between sentences. "What is the answer?"

Jaune, who had barely heard the question as he woke up, looked across the classroom where Pyrrha was sitting. Pyrrha looked at him with a hopeful look, trying to think of a way that she could help him.

"Uhh… The answer… The advantage… that the Faunus had…" Jaune looked past Oobleck. Pyrrha mimed a cough and mouthed a word to him, but he couldn't make it out. "... over the other guy's stuff…" Jaune continued, still trying to pick up on what Pyrrha was saying. In a final try, Pyrrha brought her hands up and made circles around her eyes.

"Umm… Binoculars!" Jaune blurted with confidence.

However, the confidence was misplaced, as the students, Cardin included, began to laugh at the answer. Oobleck zipped back to the front of the class and took a swig of coffee as he said, "Very funny, Mr. Arc." Pyrrha slapped a hand to her head in dismay. Cardin, who had been laughing loudly, managed to attract Oobleck's attention. "Cardin! Perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject?"

Looking mildly annoyed at being called on, Cardin leaned back in his chair and put his feet up, a look of mock concentration on his face. "Well," he said after a moment, "I know it's a lot easier to train an _animal _than a soldier."

Oobleck shook his head, and from the front row, Pyrrha turned towards the boy with a disapproving stare. "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?"

"What," the boy replied, "you got a problem?"

"No, I have the answer," Pyrrha shot back. Turning to Oobleck, she said, "It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect vision in the dark."

Cardin growled at the answer and the remark that had preceded it as Blake, from her seat next to Pyrrha, continued. "General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." She turned to Cardin. "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as _such_ a failure."

Cardin, sensing a challenge, got to his feet, fists clenched.

Before he could act, Oobleck turned sharply towards him. "Mr. Winchester, please, take your seat."

Jaune, who had chuckled as Pyrrha embarrassed the bully, now drooped as Oobleck continued, "You _and _Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings." He punctuated the sentence with another sip from the thermos.

"Oh," Jaune groaned.

"Now, moving on!" Oobleck said as he zipped away again.

* * *

After class ended, the students began to disperse, with the exception of Cardin and Jaune, who waited for the class to empty from their seats. Nora and Ren both strolled out, Pyrrha not far behind. She turned to her teammates. "You go on ahead. I'll wait for Jaune."

The two walked away, and Pyrrha looked through the doorway as Oobleck began to speak.

The teacher sipped his coffee "You two have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is..." Another sip, longer this time. "It stops now. You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, _so_ I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty-one to ninety-one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along." The professor zipped out of the class, past the waiting Pyrrha.

Jaune walked out and was shoved down by an angry Cardin who laughed at his pained groan before walking away. Pyrrha helped Jaune to his feet. "You know," she muttered to him, "I really will break his legs."

Jaune just sighed, feeling too tired to do anything. Pyrrha felt pity as she looked at her team leader, then seemed to have an idea. "I have an idea. Here, come with me!"

With that, she grabbed one of Jaune's arms in her own and dragged the confused boy down the hallway.

* * *

It was nighttime by the time they finally reached the roof, with the sky above showing the broken moon like a glimmering beacon of its own.

Jaune, misinterpreting Pyrrha's intention, said with confusion, "Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not _that _depressed." He looked over the edge to the ground below. "I can always be a farmer or something."

Pyrrha, who had been confused herself at his words, suddenly realized his meaning as her eyes widened. "No!" she cried as she hurriedly pulled him away from the edge. "That's not why I brought you here. Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so… I want to help you!"

"Wh-what?" Jaune asked, still not understanding.

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" Pyrrha explained with a smile.

"You think I need help?" Jaune said in a sullen voice?

Pyrrha's expression froze as her eyes widened. "N-no, no, that's not what I meant."

"But you just said it," Jaune pointed out.

Pyrrha took a breath and began again. "Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"

Strangely, Pyrrha's encouraging words seemed to have the opposite effect, as Jaune's head hung lower and he turned away from her. "You're wrong," he said, his voice lower than before. "I-I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!"

"No, I don't!" Jaune yelled at her as he turned. Pyrrha, having never heard him make such an outburst before, was silent for a moment. Jaune sighed and hung his head, eyes closed. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon." He turned back around to avoid her eyes as he let the statement hang in the air.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked in quiet confusion.

Jaune began to confess everything, his voice rising as he went on. "I mean, I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't _earn_ my spot at this Academy!" He turned to her again. "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

"But… but why?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune turned away again as he replied, "'Cause this is always what I've wanted to be. My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes!" He paused. "I wanted to be one too. I was just never good enough."

Pyrrha approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then let me help you," she said with sincerity.

Jaune whirled around and looked at her with an expression that was a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "I don't _want _help! I don't _want _to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"

"Jaune, I–"

"I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand? If I can't do this on my own… then what good am I?"

Pyrrha reached out an arm towards him, but he shrugged away from her. "Just… just leave me alone, okay?"

Pyrrha looked at him a moment longer, unsure of what to do, until she finally lowered her arms. "If that's what you think is best," she said softly as she walked, head down, back to the door to the stairs, leaving Jaune looking down at his feet. He waited a few moments, then started to go down as well, until he heard a snickering laugh from behind him. He turned around, and the color drained from his face. There, pulling himself up from an unseen balcony, was Cardin Winchester. "Oh, Jaune," chuckled the large boy.

"Cardin!" Jaune weakly said, almost like a protest, as if saying it would somehow make it just a dream.

"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So you snuck into Beacon, huh?" Cardin gave a disbelieving shake of his head with a snide smile on his face. "I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be _such _a rebel!"

Jaune's pathetic face was mirrored by his voice. "Please, Cardin, _please, _don't tell anyone!"

To Jaune's surprise, Cardin gave him a sincere-seeming look. "Jaune, come on! I'd never rat on a friend like that!"

"A… a friend?" Jaune stuttered in disbelief.

Cardin pulled the smaller boy into a headlock. "Of course!" Jaune struggled within the tight grip of the bigger student "We're _friends_ now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a _long_ time." Cardin released Jaune, and the boy dropped unceremoniously to the roof, gasping and rubbing his neck. "That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?" Cardin grinned as he stooped over to ruffle Jaune's hair. "That's what I thought." Cardin casually strolled back to the side of the roof and crouched himself down, pausing before he went back down to his balcony to say, "Don't worry, Jaune; your secret's safe with me."

Jaune nervously rubbed the back of his neck with a worried gulp as Cardin disappeared over the side of the building.


	17. Forever Fall

**Chapter Thirteen: Forever Fall**

Pyrrha gazed forlornly out the window of their dorm room, deep in thought. Ren was sitting quietly on his bed as he looked over Storm Flower, gently polishing and loading the twin daggered pistols. Nora was jumping up and down on her bed with a slightly bored expression, and Jaune's bed was empty, as he had said he was going to help Cardin with something tonight. Pyrrha was irked. It was unlike Jaune to be this close with Cardin, but ever since their talk on the balcony a few weeks ago, Jaune had seemed to be doing more and more for the bully.

"How come Jaune gets home so late?" asked Nora in mid-jump.

"He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin," Ren explained.

"That's weird," Nora said. "Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" she cried as she flopped down onto her back. The freshmen had been assigned a project in Forever Fall, another forest outside of Vale tomorrow, and Glynda was chaperoning.

Pyrrha's frown turned a bit bitter at that. "I'm sure our leader knows _exactly _what he's doing."

"Mmm… I guess so," Nora said obliviously after exchanging a glance with Ren

In the hallway, Jaune watched his team through the cracked door, sighing with a slumped posture as he heard Pyrrha's tone. He had never wanted any of this to happen, but there wasn't any way he could stand up to Cardin. Thinking that he was the last person his team needed to see right now, he softly closed the door and shook his head.

"Hey, Jaune," came a voice from behind him. Startled, Jaune turned to see Ruby in her pajamas, standing outside of her own dorm. She giggled at his surprised face. "Long time, no see, heh! Did you lock yourself out again?"

"Oh, uh, nope!" Jaune said, reaching into his pocket for his Scroll. "Got it!" he said with a sheepish laugh.

"So, where have you been lately?" Ruby asked, fishing for information.

"I, uh…" Jaune trailed off. He was tired of keeping the secret. If he could talk to anyone about it in confidence, it would be Ruby. With a sigh, he confessed, "I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and…" He let out a breath. "I'm just starting to think that coming to this school was a bad idea." He slid down the outside of his door to the floor, face downcast. "I'm a failure."

"Nope."

Jaune looked up, taken aback by the simple reply. "Nope?"

"Nope!" Ruby looked down at her friend and thought of her conversation with Ozpin on that first day of school. "You're a leader now, Jaune. You're not allowed to be a failure."

"But… what if I'm a failure at being a leader?" Jaune asked.

Ruby thought for a moment and smiled down at him. "Nope!" she replied again.

Despite himself, Jaune gave a chuckle as she slid down next to him on the floor. "You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff."

"Nope!" Ruby grinned. Turning serious, she looked at the blond knight next to her. "Jaune, you may have been a failure as a kid…" Jaune sank lower with a moan. "... and you might've even been a failure the first day we met." Jaune sank again.

"But, you can't be one now. You know why?"

"Uhh, because…?" Jaune began, waiting for her answer.

Still thinking of Ozpin's words, the reaper finished, ""Because it's not just about _you_ anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do! And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us." Ruby stood and looked down at him with her hands on her hips. "We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And I think that can be you." She walked to the door and opened it, turning to wave to Jaune before she went in. "Have a good night, Jaune!" With that, she slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind her.

For the first time in a few weeks, Jaune felt genuinely uplifted by Ruby's words. He stood and moved towards his door, hand hovering by the knob. However, at that precise moment, his Scroll buzzed. Jaune retrieved it and sighed when he saw a new message from Cardin.

"_Hey, it's your buddy Cardin!" _came the message. "_I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, but I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier Wasps."_ Jaune gave a frightened yelp. "_And make sure they've got some _really _big stingers. It's important, so don't mess this up."_ With that, the message ended.

With a tired sigh, Jaune pocketed his Scroll and turned back down the hallway, wondering how in the world he was going to catch a bag of Rapier Wasps.

* * *

"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful," Glynda was saying the next day as the students took in with wondering eyes the sights of the red-orange leaves. The forest was kept in a permanent state of Autumn by some form of meteorology or Dust that scientists had yet to discover or explain, and it was one of the Kingdom of Vale's most popular tourist spots. However, citizens would always be escorted by one or more Huntsmen to protect from Grimm attacks.

"However," Glynda continued, "we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing it."

Jaune, who had been ordered by Cardin to carry all of Team CRDL's jars in addition to his own and an extra, stumbled into the bully's back and received a scowl as Glynda continued. "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap," she said, holding up a full jar. "However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!"

Jaune tried to inch away from Cardin, but the bully grabbed him by the hoodie and pulled him along. "Come on, buddy, let's go." Jaune looked apologetically at his own team, and Pyrrha met his eyes with a sad stare and a sigh as he was dragged away.

* * *

Later, as Team CRDL all reclined comfortably in the shade, Jaune stumbled into their clearing bearing all of the full jars of sap, collapsing tiredly to the forest floor.

"Hey, great work, Jauney boy!" Cardin said as the team stood. "Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Jaune's reply was a bit muted by his congested nose. "I think I'm allergic to this stuff," he groaned.

Obviously not caring, Cardin said, "Great, great, great. So, Jaune, I be you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect _six _jars of tree sap when there's only _five _of us?'."

"That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes," replied Jaune from his spot on the ground.

"Well, come with me, and you'll find out."

Something in the way Cardin said it cause Jaune to gulp in worry.

A few minutes' walk away, the rest of the students were gathering their sap. Ren handed a full glass to Nora, but when he turned around with the second, Nora's jar was empty and her smile was covered in sap. She giggled sheepishly as she scratched her head and extended the now empty jar back to Ren.

Above the scene, on a hill overlooking the rest of the students, Jaune was squeezed on his stomach between Team CRDL. "Cardin, wh-what's going on?"

Cardin's hard gaze was fixed on Pyrrha. "Payback," he said coldly.

Jaune followed his gaze, his eyes widening in horrified realization. "Pyrrha?" He watched as she gathered her sap from one of the trees. "Wh-what are you–"

Cardin cut him off sharply. "That's the girl. Red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. Alright boys." Behind him, Cardin pulled out a box that seemed familiar to Jaune but that he hadn't see Cardin carrying before. When he recognized the box, Jaune's eyes widened. "Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."

Cardin looked to the extra sap jar. "Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things _love _sweets!" He looked down at Pyrrha. A grim smile played on his lips. "I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two."

Jaune was yanked to his feet by Cardin, and the extra jar of sap was thrust into his hands. "And _you're _gonna do it."

"Do what?" Jaune asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Hit her with the sap!" Cardin leaned in dangerously close with a threatening glower. "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."

Jaune took the jar and turned it in his hands. Looking down at Pyrrha, and the leering faces around him, he readied his arm, aiming the sap right at Pyrrha's oblivious form. What he was about to do hit him just as his muscles tensed up to throw, and he closed his eyes with a resigned sigh.

"No."

"What did you say?" Cardin asked with menace.

"I said… no!" Jaune hurled the jar of sap at Cardin, where it shattered, sending little shards of glass and sticky sap splattering all over Cardin's armor. Cardin looked at Jaune, and to the latter's terror, he gave a humorless laugh. "Oh, you've done it now…"

Jaune meekly put up his hands to defend himself with a nervous laugh as Dove and Sky grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him roughly back towards the clearing in the forest.


	18. Forever Fall, Pt 2

**Chapter Fourteen: Forever Fall, Part Two**

Jaune fell backwards on his hands and knees with a groan of pain, looking up at his tormenter. Cardin towered over him, sap still covering his chestplate as he scowled down at Jaune. Cardin leaned down and picked up an unresisting Jaune by his collar, before he punched him back to the ground again. Cardin leaned over and grinned nastily.

"You _know _that wasn't very smart, Jauney boy." Jaune's head dangled back woozily. One eye was already swollen and bruised, and he hung limply as Cardin picked him up again. "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny, tiny pieces."

"I don't care what you do to me…" Jaune said, not even looking at Cardin. However, his head and voice rose in determination with his next words. "But you are _not _messing with my team."

Cardin snickered. "What? You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big, strong man now?"

Jaune weakly smiled as his head fell back again, which only served to anger Cardin further. Rearing back, Cardin brought his fist in for another blow to Jaune's face… only to be cut off by a white light that emanated from Jaune. Cardin dropped his victim with a pained yelp and leaped backward, rubbing his hand where it had connected with Jaune. Jaune, for his part, felt confused as the aches across his body disappeared and he felt a boost of energy. He looked down at his hands and, watching the small glow that emanated from them, he understood. It was his Aura shielding him; as Pyrrha had put it, he had projected his soul outwards as a force of protection. Jaune briefly stared in wonder as the glow faded away, before a kick from behind sent him sprawling forward again.

Jaune rolled over to see Sky Lark leaping away from the kick as Cardin himself got to his feet. "Let's see how much of a man you really are."

However, before Cardin could move in, a low growl was heard behind him. Team CRDL and Jaune both turned and watched as an Ursa Major, an old and heavily armored Ursa, lumbered into the clearing. The Grimm sniffed, smelling the sap that covered the leader's armor, and Cardin's eyes widened in fear as the beast began to approach him with a ferocious roar that shook the leaves in the trees.

Sky, Dove, and Russel all turned heel and took off, Russel shouting, "That's a big Ursa!" in fear as they abandoned their leader. Cardin was knocked to the side by the bear's broad paws as it attacked, revealing Jaune cowering where he had fallen on the ground. However, the bear's interest was held by Cardin's sticky armor as it began to stalk him down, slowly moving in. Cardin tried to retrieve his mace, but the Grimm easily swiped the weapon away. Jaune, who had gotten to his feet, stood rooted to the spot, wondering whether to abandon Cardin to the Ursa or not.

* * *

Meanwhile, over the hill, the rest of Team JNPR and Team RWBY were busily collecting their sap until a loud roar split the air. The two teams looked up the hill in worry.

"Did you guys hear that?" Ruby asked.

Suddenly, from over the hill came three sprinting figures: Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark, and Russel Thrush. "Ursa, Ursa!" Russel shouted in fear as he fled, only to bump right into Yang, who picked him up by his collar. "What? Where?" demanded the boxer.

"Back there! It's got Cardin!" Russel cried, pointing a finger up the hill.

Pyrrha dropped her jar, eyes wide in concern. "Jaune!"

Ruby turned to her sister. "Yang, you and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch!" With a nod from both, Yang dropped the boy in her hands and they took off through the trees. Pyrrha called to Ren and Nora as she took out her weapons, "You two go with them! There could be more!"

With that, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss sprinted up the hill towards the clearing, weapons drawn.

* * *

Cardin sprinted for the edge of the clearing, but the Ursa leaped over him and cut off his escape, knocking him back onto his hands with a paw. He frantically backed away as the monster crept closer.

"Crap, crap, _crap!"_ he cried.

"Oh, no!" cried Pyrrha as they ran up, just in time to see the Ursa rising up on its hind legs, ready to bring them down in a crushing swipe as Cardin screamed in fear.

The paws came down and made a thudding sound as they landed on the metal Shield of Crocea Mors. Jaune stood his ground, pushing against the powerful Ursa's weight as he struggled to defend Cardin. On the side, Weiss raised Myrtenaster and levelled it at the bear, but Pyrrha put a hand out to stop her. "Wait."

Jaune lowered his shield quickly and rolled out from underneath the bear, slashing at its stomach as he did so. The Ursa roared at its new challenger and came at him low, clawing at his feet. Jaune jumped over the low paw but was caught in the air by another that hurled him back across the clearing. He got back to his feet and rushed in again, but was again batted to the side.

Jaune grimaced as he looked at his Aura level on his Scroll, which was attached to the back of his shield. His Aura was displayed in the red, very low. Jaune felt something well up within him, an anger that had been simmering below the surface since Cardin had first started to antagonized him, but one that he had never acted on before. Channeling the anger, he charged again at the Grimm as it bounded towards him.

From the side, Pyrrha watched the battle, and noticed that as Jaune came in with a strike from his sword, he had left his side completely open as one of the bear's claws came close. Reaching out a hand that began to glow with a red energy, Pyrrha took hold of Jaune's shield and gently adjusted his arm to block the incoming attack as his sword swung straight up through the bear's neck. The giant body stood wavering for a moment, then collapsed backward onto the ground, where it began to slowly dissolve.

Ruby, who watched as Pyrrha lowered her hand, made a confused, "Uhh… what?"

Weiss, equally confused, asked, "How did you…?"

Pyrrha smiled as she looked at Jaune's heavily breathing form. "Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs. My Semblance… is polarity."

"Woah. _You can control poles,"_ Ruby breathed in awe.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "No, you dunce, it means she has control over magnetism."

"Magnets are cool, too," Ruby whispered, still impressed.

Pyrrha turned away and began walking back towards the hill. "Wait, where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, we gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby said.

Pyrrha smiled slightly as she replied, "We could… or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?" She disappeared into the trees, and Ruby and Weiss shared an understanding grin as they followed.

Jaune, once again battered from his fight, leaned down and extended a hand towards Cardin. Cardin cautiously took the hand as he was helped to his feet, still covered in the sap. "Holy crap, Jaune," he said slowly with a new respect for the blond boy, a slight smile on his face.

Jaune looked his former tormentor in the eye as he said threateningly, "Don't _ever _mess with my team – my friends – _ever _again."

Cardin shrank back in mild fear as Jaune let his words hang in the air. Without saying anything else, Jaune turned away from the bully and walked out of the clearing.

* * *

Back at school that night, Jaune stood on top of their dorm building and looked off into the distance at the green lights of Beacon tower. Behind him came Pyrrha's voice. "No Cardin tonight?" She walked up next to him. "I thought you two were 'best buds.'"

Jaune turned to face her. "Pyrrha, I'm sorry. I was a jerk. You were only trying to be nice… and I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head–"

"Jaune," she cut him off. "It's okay." Nothing more needed to be said as they smiled at each other. He was forgiven.

"Your team really misses their leader, you know," she said after a moment as she began to walk back to the door. She looked over her shoulder with a half smile. "You should come down. Ren made pancakes. No syrup though – you can thank Nora for that." She laughed.

"Wait!"

Pyrrha turned back around towards Jaune, who was reaching out an arm. He

looked down. "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but… Would you still be willing to help me… to help me become a better fighter?"

Pyrrha turned around, and Jaune couldn't see the satisfied smile that flashed across her face before she turned back to him and walked forward. Without warning, she suddenly pushed him hard in the shoulder. Jaune fell down backwards with a confused, "Hey!"

Pyrrha looked down at him with her hands on her hips as she adopted Glynda's teaching tone. "Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." She extended a hand to him, which he accepted as she hoisted him up. He didn't let go when he had stood up, and Pyrrha grinned at him. "Now, let's try again."


	19. The Stray

**Chapter Fifteen: The Stray**

No matter what part of Remnant you hailed from, the Vytal Festival was always a fun and exciting time of year. An event to celebrate unity and creativity, the festival had first been created almost eighty years ago at the end of the Great War. Vale, Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral had all come together to negotiate peace on the small island of Vytal off the coast of Sannus, and the four huntsman academies had been established: Beacon in Vale, Haven in Mistral, Atlas in Atlas, and Shade in Vacuo.

Nowadays, the Vytal festival was a week long tournament that took place towards the end of the second semester of the school year. Students would come from all across Remnant to test their skills in the tournament, teams from every academy and every kingdom. A large floating arena known as Amity Coliseum had been constructed and was capable of travelling to any of the four kingdoms, as hosting shifted from year to year. This year, the festival was being held at Beacon, and although it was still a few months away, students were beginning to arrive today and would live at Beacon as exchange students until the tournament began.

Ruby, Blake, Yang, and an excited Weiss walked down a long pier on the docks, where ships full of visiting students were beginning to appear. A large banner reading _WELCOME TO VALE! _hung above the boardwalk, and students began to disembark from the ships in droves.

Weiss was uncharacteristically giddy. "The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" she exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss," Ruby said with a concerned frown. "It's kinda weirding me out."

"How could you _not _smile?" Weiss turned to her leader. "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into an event like this is simply breathtaking!"

Yang crossed her arms with a sigh as they walked. "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

"Quiet you!" Weiss snapped.

They stopped by the edge of the pier and listened to the sounds of docking ships and foghorns. "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks," Yang said with a bored expression.

Ruby concurred. "Ugh, they smell like fish!" she said, holding her nose.

Weiss seemed unfazed by the smell. "I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo today will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my _solemn_ duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

Weiss scoffed, "You can't prove that!"

"Woah," came Ruby's voice. The rest of her team turned their heads to where she was looking. Ruby was standing at the border of a storefront marked off by yellow police tape, with two detectives within the tape inspecting the shattered front window of the business. Ruby approached one of the detectives, who was jotting down notes about the scene in a notepad. "What happened here?"

"Robbery," the detective said, "second Dust shop to be hit this week." To himself, he muttered, "This place is turning into a jungle." He walked over to his partner.

"That's terrible," Yang said with a frown. The team began to move away, but Ruby perked up as she heard a bit of information.

"They left all the money again!" the second detective was saying.

"Huh?" Ruby thought.

"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense." The first detective shook his head. "Who needs that much Dust?"

"I dunno, an army?"

"You thinking the White Fang?"

The other detective met his gaze with a chuckle as he removed his glasses. "Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

"Hmph! The White Fang!" Weiss said in disgust as she crossed her arms. "What an awful bunch of degenerates!"

Blake looked at Weiss abruptly, a sudden anger in her eyes. "What's _your _problem?"

Weiss turned to her teammate with a look of disbelief. "_My _problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths," Blake said, crossing her own arms. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

"_Misguided?" _Weiss repeated incredulously. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"

"Okay, so then they're _very _misguided!" Blake defended. "Either way, that doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

Ruby, trying to defuse the conversation, put in, "Hmm… Blake's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him."

Weiss' expression didn't flicker. "That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum! Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal!"

Before Blake could get angrier, Yang tried to cut in. "That's not necessarily true…"

Suddenly, from the arriving boats, as if to throw Yang's words back in her face, there arose a cry of, "Hey, stop that Faunus!"

The girls looked out to one of the boats, where two crew members were chasing after a boy about their age with golden hair and a Faunus monkey tail. The boy was running along the deck of the boat, and he jumped to the railing and looked back at his pursuers.

"Thanks for the ride, fellas!" He laughed as he leaped from the boat and hit the pier running.

"You no-good stowaway!" shouted one of the sailors after him.

From a lightpost, the Faunus boy hung by his tail as he peeled a banana. "Hey, a no-good stowaway would have gotten caught!" he shouted back with a grin. "I'm a great stowaway!"

The detectives from the crime scene came over to see what the commotion was. Seeing the dangling student in front of them, the first detective called out, "Hey! Get down from there this instant!" A moment later, a banana peel hit the man in the face, and he growled.

The Faunus flipped himself up with a laugh and sprang off of the lamppost, the detectives close behind in pursuit. The team on the docks watched him as he rushed by, and Blake's cheeks colored a bit in surprise as he winked at her on his way past.

Yang watched as the running figures grew further away. "Well, Weiss," she said with a grin, "you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes."

"Quick! We have to observe him!" the heiress cried as she took off after the detectives and the Faunus boy. Ruby and Yang followed, and after Blake took a moment to realize what was happening, she ran after her friends.

Weiss rounded a corner after the detectives, but suddenly ran into a girl walking on the sidewalk. Weiss looked ahead of her as the boy leaped up to the roof of a low building and disappeared, as the detectives gave up their chase. "No! He got away!" Weiss cried in disappointment.

Yang pointed to the girl underneath Weiss. "Um, Weiss?"

Weiss, finally realizing that she had run into a _person,_ gave a surprised cry and stood up suddenly as the girl smiled strangely up at her. The girl seemed to be about their age, with curly ginger hair tied up by a pink bow and freckles dotting her cheeks, as well as a pair of gray overalls. Her small dress extended into black pants with a green stripe down the side. The girl made no move to get up as she smiled cheerfully up at Team RWBY. ""_Sal-u-tations!" _she said in a bright voice.

Ruby, trying to be friendly but mildly confused at the new person's strange behavior, cautiously said, "Umm, hello."

"Are you okay?" Yang asked, also bewildered.

"I'm _wonderful!"_ the girl said, still not getting up. "Thank you for asking!"

The friends looked amongst themselves, wondering at the girl's unusual actions. Still befuddled, Yang asked, "Do you… want to get up?"

The girl on the ground tilted her head as if in thought, then smiled again and said, "Yes!" with that, she leaped up into a standing position. The team edged away from her a step, still a bit off put by the unusual girl.

"My name is Penny!" the ginger girl said with that same bright smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ruby gave a little wave and a friendly smile. "Hi, Penny! I'm Ruby!" The rest introduced themselves in turn.

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" An elbow from Blake hit Yang in the side. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" the newly introduced Penny said.

"You already said that," Weiss remarked.

Penny paused again, seeming confused herself for the first time. "So I did!" she said, still managing a happy expression through her confusion.

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss apologized as the team turned and began to walk away. "Take care, friend!" Ruby called over her shoulder. None of them noticed as Penny's face suddenly adopted a startled expression, with wide eyes and an open mouth.

The team moved away, glancing among themselves for an explanation. Yang muttered softly, "She was… _weird…_"

"Now, where did that Faunus riff raff run off to?" Weiss looked forward again, only to stop in surprise with the rest of the team as they noticed who was in front of them.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked with wide-eyed hopefulness on her face. The girl had seemingly appeared in front of the team, and Weiss looked back and forth from the spot they had walked from and where Penny stood in front of them, face blooming with renewed confusion.

Yang, thinking the comment was directed at her, quickly apologized, "Oh, I'm really sorry! I definitely didn't think you heard me!"

However, Penny merely said, "No, not you," as she walked between the other members of the team and came to a stop face-to-face with Ruby. "_You!"_

Ruby, not expecting the sudden confrontation, stuttered, "Me? I-I don't know, what I, um, uh…"

"You called me 'friend!'" Penny said in apparent triumph. "Am I really your friend?" she asked with a hopeful expression.

"Umm…" Ruby, unsure of how to answer, took a moment as she looked over the girl's shoulder. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were all shaking their heads or their hands in various gestures of "Don't!" However, it wasn't in Ruby's character, as the reaper smiled and stammered, "Y-yeah, sure! Why not?"

Despite her teammates' expressions that now cried "What are you doing?!", Penny smiled and laughed as she clapped her hands together. "Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Ruby groaned to Weiss, "Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?"

"No," the heiress said dryly, "she seems _far _more coordinated."

"So, what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked their new companion.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament," Penny said in a determined voice.

"Wait," Weiss said in disbelief, "_you're _fighting in the tournament?"

"I'm combat ready!" Penny said with a cute salute.

Weiss gave a skeptical look. "Forgive, me, but you hardly look the part."

Blake snorted. "Says the girl wearing a dress."

"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss protested, arms crossed. Ruby backed her up with a "Yeah!" and a low high five.

Suddenly, a flash of realization appeared on Weiss' face. She turned to Penny and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Wait a minute. If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed… rapscallion?"

"The who?" Penny asked in confusion.

Weiss quickly sketched a crude drawing of the Faunus boy. "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Huh?" Weiss said as she turned towards Blake.

Blake wore an uncharacteristically angry expression as she stalked over to Weiss. "Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

Weiss wore indignation like a mask as she released Penny and turned towards Blake. "Oh, I'm sorry." She pointed at a nearby garbage can. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or to this lamp post as a lamp post?"

"_Stop it!"_

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law! Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang."

"_Ugh! _You ignorant little brat!" Blake said as she turned and began to walk away.

Weiss recoiled from the unexpected insult, but quickly stormed after Blake, protesting, "How dare you talk to me like that? I am your teammate!"

"_You _are a judgemental little girl!" Blake spat back.

""What in the world makes you say that?"

"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"

The back and forth continued to heat up as Ruby and Yang watched awkwardly from the sidelines. "Umm, I'm thinking we should probably go," Yang said slowly, uncomfortability etched onto her face.

"Where are we going?" Penny asked from behind Ruby with a bright smile, blissfully unaware of the conflict unfolding before her.

"So you admit it! The White Fang _is _just a radical group of terrorists!" Weiss hurled.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Blake retorted.

* * *

The argument still stormed when the team had retreated to their dorm room for the evening, the open window allowing bright moonlight and fresh evening air to flow into the room. However, the cool breeze did nothing to calm the tempers of Blake or Weiss.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss was saying.

"That _is _the problem!" Blake responded.

"You realizing you are defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!" the heiress stated as she stood to her feet.

Blake matched her and fought back, "There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin – people like _you _– that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?" Weiss said with a look of shock.

"You're discriminatory!" Blake said with anger.

"_I'm a victim!"_ Weiss rarely shouted, even when annoyed, and it gave everyone in the room pause for a few heartbeats. The heiress sighed and moved in closer to Blake, her tone lower than before. "You want to know _why _I despise the White Fang? Why I don't _particularly _trust the Faunus?" She turned to the window, leaning against it on her elbows as she stared out at the night sky. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in _actual_ bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very _difficult _childhood." She punctuated the statement with a bang of her fist on the word _difficult_.

Ruby, noticing her partner's clenched fist, moved to comfort her. "Weiss, I–" she began, but Weiss whirled around with a "No!" as Ruby made contact with her shoulder. She turned back to Blake, new venom in her voice.

"You want to know why I despise the White Fang?" the heiress demanded. "It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and _murderers!"_ Her voice rose with the last word back into an angry shout.

Blake's own eyes narrowed as she shouted back, "Well, _maybe we were tired of being pushed around!"_

Silence was palpable in the air as the other three teammates looked at her in shock even as she realized what she had said. Blake's anger melted in an instant into an uncomfortable nervousness, as Weiss, Ruby, and Yang stared at her in stunned silence.

"I-I…" Blake stammered, before she turned tail and ran out of the room's open door.

"Blake, wait!" Ruby cried after her. "Come back!" She ran to the hallway, but Blake had already disappeared. Yang sat down on her bed, her face conveying the new questions racing through her mind, as Weiss looked down with an expression of contempt.

* * *

In the courtyard, Blake ran away from the dorms, coming to a panting stop in front of the ornate fountain in the center of the courtyard before Beacon. She gazed up at the statues of the two triumphant Huntsmen towering over the cowering Beowolf and felt tears well up hot in her eyes. Huntsmen and Huntresses, protectors of the people. It was all she wanted to be now, to try and make amends for past mistakes. But the warriors always slayed the fearsome beasts, the Grimm. So where did that leave her?

With a shuddering breath, Blake reached up and slowly untied the black bow atop her head. The fabric unwound in her hands, exposing her Faunus trait, a small set of black cat ears, as she wiped a small tear from her eye and looked at the fountain.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow!" came a male voice from behind her. Blake vaguely recognized the voice, and wasn't really surprised when she turned around and met the eyes of it's owner.

* * *

Ruby awoke the next morning with a yawn. It had been late last night when Blake had rushed out, and Yang and Weiss had both urged her not to pursue their friend, despite their questions. They had suggested that all of them just go to bed. Blake would probably be back in the morning, and they could begin to truly discuss what had happened.

Ruby's yawn transformed into a frown and a worried groan as she looked to her left and saw that Blake's bed was still empty and made, meaning she had not come back last night.

* * *

"She's been gone all weekend," Ruby said later that day as they walked back through the streets of Vale. They had gone out in search of their friend, Weiss still a bit angry and sharp from the confrontation the day prior.

"Blake's a big girl," Weiss said with confidence. "I'm sure she can handle herself."

"Weiss, come on," Yang protested at the heiress' apparent apathy. "She's one of our teammates."

"Is she?" asked Weiss to her friends with an upturned eyebrow. "We all heard what she said.

"Weiss!" chastised Ruby.

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't!" the brawler cut in. "Either way, she's missing, and we need to find her."

Weiss snorted in contempt. "A member of the White Fang! Right under our noses!"

"I just hope she's okay…" Ruby murmured to herself.

* * *

The café had just opened, so there were few patrons out currently. The fresh sun felt relieving after the ugliness of last night. Blake serenely sipped her cup of tea, enjoying the soothing hot taste on her tongue, and looked to her companion. Up close, the boy's hair appeared a bit scruffier than it had yesterday, and he wore no shirt under his unbuttoned, casual white coat, which displayed his tanned and toned midsection as he held a small cup of coffee with his tail.

Blake sighed as she set her cup down and met his eyes. "So… you want to know more about me?"


	20. Black and White

**Chapter Sixteen: Black and White**

"Finally, she speaks!" the monkey-tailed boy said. His voice was strong and rich, as if he talked often, and his unkempt blond hair waved as he moved. He had introduced himself to her last night as Sun Wukong, a visiting student from Mistral. The sailors had been chasing him the other day because he had been visiting family in Vacuo and had stowed away on the Vacuo ship without proper documents. "Nearly two days and you gave me nothing but small talk and weird looks!"

She gave him a look of annoyance.

"Yeah, like that!" he said.

Blake rolled her eyes at him, then sighed. When she opened them, her face seemed a bit sad. "Sun… are you familiar with the White Fang?"

"Of course! I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them!" Sun leaned back in his chair. "Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks, if you ask me." He raised his cup to his lips.

Blake silently drank her tea as she listened to his response. When he finished, she quietly confessed, "I was once a member of the White Fang."

Sun choked on his drink and sat forward suddenly, wiping his mouth and coughing in surprise. "Wait, _you _were a member of the White Fang?"

Blake nodded. "That's right. I was a member for most of my life, actually. You could almost say I was born into it…"

Blake's voice grew distant as her thoughts drifted to countless protests and demonstrations, back when the White Fang had still been a peaceful organization.

"Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up, as the voice of our people. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally, I took part in every boycott, I actually thought we were making a difference. But I was just a youthful optimist." Thinking of herself as that small girl shouting mottos while hoisting a sign still made her smile.

The smile vanished. "Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one stepped up. A new leader, with a new way of thinking." She shuddered at the memory of how quickly Adam had been taken in by the sudden idea of force. "Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced by organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that uses Faunus labor. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect. Out of fear."

She shook the memories away and fixed Sun with a contemplative gaze. "So I left," she finished simply. "I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence; and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am, a criminal in plain view, all with the help of a little, black bow." Her bow twitched on her head as she flexed her cat ears.

Sun had listened during her recount, observing her quietly and with an intent gaze. "So…" he said finally, "have you told your friends any of this?"

Blake stared down into her cup, head hung in shame.

* * *

"Blaaaaaake!"

"Blake?"

"Blaaaaake?" Ruby called again. "Where are you?"

"Blake!" Yang joined her. They had been looking for their teammate all morning. Well, she and her sister had. Weiss had mostly followed them and spouted off about the White Fang.

"Weiss!" Ruby complained to the heiress. "You're not helping!"

"Oh! You know who might be able to help?" Weiss said with an impassive glance. "The police!"

"Ugh, Weiss," Ruby said as she crossed her arms and turned away from her white teammate.

"It was just an idea!"

"Yeah, a bad one."

Yang looked at Weiss. "Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."

"_I _think that when we hear it, you'll realize _I_ was right!" Weiss retorted.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" came Penny's cheerful voice from behind them.

"Ahhh!" Ruby cried in surprise as she turned and saw the familiar ginger with her pink bow behind them. Weiss and Yang whirled in tandem. "Penny, where'd you come from?"

"Hey guys!" Penny said as she ignored the question. Her smile was just as bright as it had been the day before when they had first met. "What are you up to?"

"Uhh." Ruby was unsure how to respond, thrown by Penny's non answer.

"We're looking for our friend Blake," Yang said.

"Ohh," Penny said in understanding, "you mean the Faunus girl!"

The three members of Team RWBY stared at Penny. "Wait, how did you know that?" Ruby asked.

"Uhh, the cat ears?" Penny replied, pointing to her own head.

"What cat ears?" Yang asked. "She wears a… bow…" Yang trailed off, and for a moment, the two other girls silent as they realized the implications of what Penny was saying. A tumbleweed, probably from the Vacuo ship, was blown slowly down the street by the wind, which was the only sound for a few seconds. "She does like tuna a lot," Ruby whispered.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"We don't know," Ruby admitted. "She's been missing since Friday."

Penny gasped. "That's terrible!" She grabbed Ruby by the shoulders with a firm smile. "Well, don't you worry, Ruby my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!"

In an effort to stay polite, Ruby sheepishly smiled as she gently said, "Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right guys?" She turned to Yang and Weiss for support.

However, the yellow and white members of Team RWBY had already disappeared, not wishing to be caught up by Penny's unusual behavior. A second tumbleweed blew across the dock. "It sure is windy today!" Penny commented brightly.

* * *

"So, what's the plan now?" Sun asked his new friend as they strolled down the streets of Vale later that day. Sun held his hands in a relaxed position behind his head and walked with a slow, easy gait. He appeared so comfortable around her, even though they had just barely met and he knew next to nothing about her other than the things she had told him at the coffee shop. Blake would never understand how the universe worked the way it did. A complete stranger, accepting her and her past, while her own teammate had been judgemental and confrontational. She sighed.

Turning to Sun with a thoughtful expression, she said, "I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before."

Sun's eyes widened as he had an idea. "What if they _did?_" Seeing Blake's quizzical expression, he lowered his arms from behind his head and paced back and forth as he continued. "I mean… the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most _likely _go if they _were _to do it… and not find them there! Right?"

Blake went over it in her mind. The logic was sound, but there was one problem. "The only thing is, I've no idea where that would be."

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming from Atlas."

"How huge?"

"_Huge. _Big Schnee Company freighter."

"You're sure?" Sun nodded, and Blake thought for another moment. If Sun was right about this, she could be there at the docks tonight to look over the unloading and make sure that the White Fang wasn't there. Or, she grimaced as she thought, stop them if they were.

* * *

"Thanks anyways!" Yang called over her shoulder to the shopkeeper of the store they had just left. The door closed behind them with a jingle, and Yang sighed as she stared at her boots. "This is hopeless." She turned to her teammate, who had been less than helpful in their search. "You really don't care if we find her, do you?"

Weiss gave her a confused look. "Don't be stupid, _of course _I do." She walked forward. "I'm just afraid of what she'll say when we find her." She called back over her shoulder, "The innocent never run, Yang!"

The brawler looked at her feet again thoughtfully.

* * *

"So Blake is your friend?" Penny asked in her chipper, naive voice.

Ruby sighed. She had been stuck with Penny since this morning when her sister and Weiss had abandoned her, and she had spent the afternoon search for Blake answering a constant stream of questions from Penny. "Yes, Penny," she said with a bit of tired annoyance.

"But you're mad at her?"

"Yes—well, _I'm _not, Weiss is."

"Is she friends with Blake?"

"Well, that's kind of up in the air right now."

Penny tried to understand that. She could see no reason why teammates should not be friends. "But why?" she asked.

Ruby once again sighed. "Well, you see, Blake might not be who we thought she was."

Penny gasped at the implication. Leaning in close to Ruby, she carefully whispered, "Is she a man?"

Ruby turned to the ginger girl. "No! No, Penny. She's…" She looked down at her feet and sighed yet again. "I don't know what she is. She didn't exactly talk to us before she decided to run off."

Penny looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't have a lot of friends," she began sincerely, "but if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things."

Ruby looked at the other girl, who seemed to have the strangest gift for making big statements without realizing it. Her gaze fell down to the ground sadly. "Me too…" she mused quietly as they continued walking.

* * *

Blake lay flat on her stomach on the tin roof of a large warehouse. The docks were quiet now, and dark, with only some occasional floodlights and the broken moon overhead lighting the area. So far, there had been no activity since the workers had gone home, but the large SDC containers of Dust remained where they had been unpacked.

"Did I miss anything?"

Blake looked over to Sun as he leaped down from a higher point. "Not really. They've offloaded the crates from the boat." She indicated the stationary metal containers. "Now, they're just sitting there."

"Cool." For the first time, Blake noticed the bundle in his arm as he extended a green apple towards her. "I stole you some food!"

"Do you always break the law without giving a second thought?" Blake asked with a disapproving glance.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?"

She glared at him, and he put up his hands defensively. "Okay, too soon."

Just as he said that, a sudden wind picked up around them, whipping dust up into the air. They both shielded their eyes as they watched a searchlight appear above the docks. The light was attached to a Bullhead, which was currently circling and trying to find a place to land. It came down in the middle of the group of containers and lowered the exit ramp. A figure clad in a black hood and a white tunic with a gray metal mask covering their face stepped out, wielding a Dust-powered rifle.

"Oh no…" Blake said upon seeing the back of the tunic that the figure wore.

"Is that them?" Sun asked with a concerned glance.

Blake stared at the blood red wolf's head with a slash across it emblazoned across the back of the tunic and sighed. "Yes… it's them."

Down on the loading dock, the White Fang shoulder was motioning to more that were appearing out of the Bullhead with his rifle. "All right, grab the tow cables."

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?"

Sun's voice seemed distant as Blake watched the robbery play out. Somehow, she answered him, but her words sounded like they belonged to another person. "No, I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right." She stared at the soldiers as they began to hook up the cables, soldiers from an organization she had used to admire and serve, and she closed her eyes in shame and despair.

"Hey! What's the holdup?!"

Her eyes snapped open. That was a new voice. One that didn't sound like it belonged. She and Sun watched as a new figure strolled out of the Bullhead, hook-handled cane in hand.

The soldiers looked up as Roman Torchwick descended the ramp, waving his arms in frustration. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

Blake stared down at the scene and the new man that she didn't recognize, her thoughts now racing with confusion. "This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that." She pulled out the katana of Gambol Shroud and leaped nimbly off of the edge of the roof, unheeding of Sun's following cry of alarm.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sun called to her as she disappeared between the metal boxes.

Blake crouched down and slowly slunk alongside the containers, peering carefully around the corner. The human with the cane was currently berating one of his underlings holding a large tow cable. "No, you idiot," Roman said, "this isn't a leash!"

Blake dashed forward before any of the guards saw her or could react, sliding up behind him with her sword held to his throat. Roman was surprised for a moment. "What the—" Realizing his predicament, he rolled his eyes in apparent frustration rather than concern. "Oh, for—"

Blake cut him off. "Nobody move!"

The soldiers all readied their weapons, surrounding Blake and their captive boss. Roman seemed surprisingly calm despite the katana resting at his throat. "Whoa!" he chuckled. "Take it easy there, little lady."

Blake decided to take a gamble as the guards began to close in. She brought her hands up to her bow and untied it, revealing her Faunus ears. The guards took a moment of pause as she spoke her next words. "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?"

Although his men looked a bit unsure and some lowered their weapons, Roman laughed. "Oh kid, didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?" Blake demanded.

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!" the criminal replied with a sly smirk.

Blake's blade came closer to his throat, and the smirk vanished. "Tell me what it is, or I'll put an end to your little operation."

The wind suddenly picked up again, and Blake and Torchwick both turned their gaze upward as two more Bullheads began to descend upon their position. "I wouldn't exactly call it a _little _operation!" Roman shouted over the din of the rotors.

Blake stared up at the Bullheads in apparent shock and horror. She never noticed as Roman smirked again. Or that he had still been holding Melodic Cudgel behind his back. Or when he slightly adjusted it to point beneath her feet and pulled the trigger.

* * *

In the streets of Vale, Penny and Ruby both turned at the distant sound of an explosion. Ruby gazed over a nearby building towards the docks and saw a plume of smoke rising into the air. Somehow, she knew that whatever was happening had to do with Blake, and she had a bad feeling about it.

"Oh no…"

* * *

Blake slowly got to her feet, dazed from the attack. The round from Roman's cane had exploded directly beneath her, sending her flying backward through the air. Roman didn't let up the pressure as he fired more shots at her, and she quickly dodged and rolled to the side. Round after round he fired, until finally she retreated behind some of the large containers for protection. Roman began to pursue her with a cocky saunter, playfully taunting, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…" However, a slimy yellow object landing on his feathered hat distracted him. Roman wiped the object, which he recognized as a banana peel, off of his head and looked up to where it had come from.

His eyes widened as Sun leaped down from the top of the containers and landed feet-first onto Roman, taking him down as Sun rolled and came up standing. "Leave her alone," he ordered.

Roman got back to his feet. From above, one of the new Bullheads opened a hatch, and several White Fang soldiers spilled out. Roman stepped back as his men began to surround the monkey-tailed boy.

Roman scowled. "You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you, kid?"

Roman's soldiers charged forward, but Sun was ready. He dodged slices from their swords and punched and kicked his way through the mob with ease. He rolled out of the way of a slash and withdrew his own weapon, a long, red bo staff, which he quickly used to go to work. Sun slammed the staff into the ground in a shockwave that knocked several off their feet. Soldiers came at him from all sides, but he beat them back quickly and efficiently, a single strike sending each one down. He twirled on his hands as he went low on one, and Blake peered around the corner of her crates and watched as he finished off the last guard and sent him hurtling through the air towards Torchwick.

The criminal ducked as his henchman was hurled towards him, then angrily aimed his cane at Sun, firing a quick burst. Sun twirled the staff and intercepted the round, which exploded harmlessly on the red metal. Blake leaped over Sun as the staff spun, crying out, "He's mine!" as she approached Torchwick.

Gambol Shroud and Melodic Cudgel clashed as Blake attacked Roman in a surprisingly fierce flurry of slashes and strikes. However, Roman was skilled in combat as well, and he expertly blocked each of her blows as quickly as she made them. Using her Semblance, Blake decoyed over him and landed a glancing hit, then decoyed out of the way again. Roman turned and attacked, bringing the cane down on her blade as she struck again with her decoy, then again. By the third time, Roman had learned her trick and thrust Melodic Cudgel forward. Blake quickly dodged and let her copy take the hit as it vanished, then dashed forward again and swung with the katana.

Roman used his cane's hooked handle to trap her blade and struck her with his fist as she tried to pull free. She stumbled, and he pressed his advantage, bringing the cane up to clip her on the chin. She spun away with a grunt, and he laughed as he swung again. She righted herself just in time for a swipe to the face to connect, and even as that one hit, Roman swung again, too quick to counter, sending her sprawling to the side with a pained cry.

However, the criminal didn't get a moment's rest, as Sun leaped in to replace Blake, snapping his staff into it's second form, that of a pair of red nunchucks. He came in with the weapons and pulled is triggers, using the pistol function as they spun to create a storm of Dust-generated fire around the two combatants. To Torchwick's credit, he blocked most of Sun's strikes with unbelievable speed, but as Sun struck, Roman blocked and left himself open for just a moment.

In that moment, Blake, having recovered, jumped back into the fight and slashed into the opening, throwing Roman back. He landed on his back several meters away, sitting up to scowl at the two students. Roman looked up and noticed a large crane that had hoisted up a container of Dust dangling over his enemies, and he swung up Melodic Cudgel and fired off a burst that severed the cable and sent the storage unit hurtling down towards the two Faunus. Blake flipped backwards and Sun leaped clear, landing on his hands and knees. Slowly, he picked himself up, but before he could stand, Roman towered threateningly over him, the barrel of his weapon pointed directly at Sun's face.

Sun was saved by an unexpected source. "Hey!" came a girl's voice from atop a nearby building. Torchwick and sun both looked over to where Ruby Rose stood, Crescent Rose already in hand, on top of a warehouse.

Roman's face lit up in recognition and despite himself, he smirked. "Well hello, Red!" he called out with a wave. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

From behind Ruby, Penny asked, "Ruby, are these people your friends?"

Ruby turned a cautionary gaze on the ginger. "Penny, get back!"

Torchwick saw the opening and didn't waste it, firing his cane at the reaper. The shot connected, and Ruby was thrown back with a surprised cry, then landed on the roof with a grunt. Roman laughed when he saw the hit.

Seeing her friend attacked, Penny turned and narrowed her gaze at Roman, glaring for the first time since Ruby had met her. She confidently strode towards the edge of the roof, while from behind her, Ruby help out a hand. "Penny, wait! Stop!"

Penny turned to her friend with a cheery smile. "Don't worry Ruby." She once again looked at Torchwick, eyes full of determination. "I'm combat ready!"

Ruby watched in stunned amazement as a backpack on Penny's shoulders that she had never noticed before opened, and from within it emerged a single, sharp sword with a green stripe down the middle, similar to the stripe on Penny's pants. The sword seemed to float of its own accord, gently hovering in the air behind Penny and the open backpack.

Suddenly, the sword split several times, revealing more swords, about ten or so in all, that spread out to hover around Penny and followed her as she leaped from the top of the building. As she came down, she sent some towards the regrouping White Fang forces, who were thrown to the ground as the blades struck. Penny landed and twisted from side to side, propelling her blades forward with an unseen force that thrust the soldiers against walls. Only their Aura protected them from potentially fatal wounds the sharp blades would have inflicted.

Two of the Faunus guards rushed the girl, but Penny barely twitched as she drew her blades close into a defensive wheel in front of her. The shield of rotating blades threw the men violently to the side, and Penny then sent the spinning blades whirring through the air like a disc that chopped through a larger group of the thieves and sent them flying into the air.

"Woah!" cried Sun as he watched the incredible display, using Penny's sudden appearance to retreat from where Roman had had him pinned. Roman himself watched in shock as his men were cut down before him by this new girl. Angrily, he signalled to the above Bullheads and ordered them to open fire on Penny.

As the Dust rounds began to rain from the sky, Penny threw up her defensive shield of blades again. Her pack opened once more, and two blades shot out of it, sinking into the warehouse behind her. Penny smiled as she felt the strings attached to those blades propel her backwards towards the building, quicker than the Bullheads could follow. She knelt down and stopped her spinning disk. The blades centered and began to glow with a green energy in the center of the circle.

With a punching motion, Penny sent the energy launching forward in a powerful laser that sliced through all of the Bullheads like a butter knife. White Fang pilots and soldiers fell from the ruined halves of the ships as they crashed into an abandoned warehouse a few shipyards over. Ruby watched the crashing explosion in mild shock, then redirected her attention to Penny.

One Bullhead had survived the laser, and Penny eyed it with her blades. She launched them forward, sending several into the side of the ship. The wires attached to the blades grew taught, and Penny began to walk backwards against the straining aircraft and tug it behind her.

"Woah…" Ruby gasped to herself. "How is she doing that?"

Seeing that his robbery had been foiled, Roman retreated to the first ship he had stepped out of and prepared to flee as Penny continued to pull the struggling aircraft in the sky. With a last, mighty pull, Penny brought the Bullhead down into some of the SDC crates, causing a large explosion.

Roman shook his head in frustrated wonder as the hatch closed. "These kids just keep getting weirder." The hatch clicked shut, and the aircraft retreated into the sky before anyone could attempt to stop it.

* * *

Later, after the police had arrived, Ruby, Blake, Sun, and Penny sat in a circle on some crates. They were mostly quiet after introductions had been made and Blake had filled Ruby in, until they turned and saw Weiss and Yang approaching past the yellow tape.

In an effort to defuse the argument she saw coming, Ruby quickly tried to explain to Weiss even as the heiress walked past her. "Look, Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing. See, she doesn't actually have a bow, she has kitty ears, and they're actually kinda cute…" She trailed off as Weiss faced their teammate.

"Weiss," Blake began, "I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with them–"

"Stop." Weiss carefully looked at the Faunus girl. "Do you have any idea of how long we've been searching for you?" She paused. "_Twelve_ hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours, I've decided…"

A look of worry flashed across the faces of Sun, Ruby, and Yang as they watched.

"I don't care!"

Blake was surprised, evidenced by her expression. "You don't care?" she repeated?

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I haven't been since I was younger–"

"Ah-bah-bah! I don't want to hear it. All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up… you'll come to your _teammates_, and not some…" She glanced at Sun and tried again. "Someone else."

Ruby and Weiss smiled at the bond that had been prepared. Blake looked to Weiss and wiped a quick tear from her eye. "Of course."

Weiss gave her friend a smile and nodded.

Ruby took the moment to cry out excitedly, "Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!"

Weiss glanced at Sun pointedly and shot him a look. "I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about you!" she told him with a pointed finger. Sun laughed nervously in response.

Ruby looked around when she realized their group had shrunk. "Hey, wait a minute… Where's Penny?"

* * *

In a limousine across the street, Penny watched with a slightly sad expression as the friends came together. The man in the front seat looked back at her. "You should know better than to go running around in a strange city."

"I know, sir." She bowed her head.

The man took pity on his charge as he began to drive away. "Penny, your time will come…" The limo disappeared around a corner.

* * *

The upper-right hand corner of Ozpin's tablet displayed the words, "_LIVE FEED" _as he watched Team Ruby and the Wukong boy at the docks through one of the city's numerous cameras. A notification popped up, and he clicked on it. The video feed disappeared and a message from Qrow popped up. "_QUEEN HAS PAWNS" . _Nothing else, just that phrase.

"Hmm," Ozpin mused. The broken moon shined brightly over Beacon Academy, whose green lights glowed like its namesake in the sky, as the headmaster was left to contemplate this new development.

* * *

Roman pushed open the door to the warehouse and shut it tiredly behind him. He walked over to the workbench that functioned as his makeshift desk and sighed, setting down the case he had been carrying.

From behind him came a ratcheting sound as another door within the building slid open, and a woman's voice, silken and smooth, spoke, "How very disappointing, Roman."

"Woah!" Roman said in surprise as he turned to face his employer and her two apprentices, their faces hidden in shadow. He gave a nervous chuckle. "I wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon."

The woman, dressed in the same red dress as the first night they had run into Ruby, with glowing yellow eyes and flowing black hair, replied with measured criticism, "We were expecting… _more _from you."

Despite the situation, Torchwick laughed. "Hey! You were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang."

She chuckled slowly, darkly, and Roman would be lying if the sound didn't chill him a bit. "And you will continue to do so." She summoned up a small fire in her hand. _Without Dust_. She stepped forward, and her subordinates, a teen with gray-black clothing and silver hair and a dark girl with green hair and crimson eyes, followed suit. Golden eyes glowing, Cinder Fall said with tempting allure, "We have _big _plans for you, Roman. All we ask is… a little cooperation." And she smiled.


	21. Best Day Ever

**Chapter One: Best Day Ever**

The _woosh_ of an airship above cutting through the sky resonated through the streets of Vale. In front of his shop, the owner of _From Dust Til Dawn _was standing on a tall ladder and hanging up a _GRAND REOPENING _sign on the doorframe. After that robbery a few months back had been foiled by that cute little girl, he had been trying to find a new pane of glass for the shop, and it had been closed until now. He tacked the final nail in place and began to step down, but his ladder was suddenly jostled by something and he fell down with a startled cry. Shaking his head, he looked up to see who had bumped the ladder.

A teenage girl stood over him. Her skin was dark, chocolate-colored, and her hair was mint-green and came down in twin, smooth pigtails over her shoulders. She wore a set of white straps around her neck and shoulders that supported her tan top. Where her exposed midriff ended, she wore a pair of white shorts, and over those were a pair of thigh-high, brown leather chaps. The chaps were held up by a simple leather belt. It seemed as if her entire outfit, although clean, had been cobbled together from a random assortment of different types of clothing. She wore an apologetic smile on her face, and her crimson eyes glittered brightly.

The girl gave a small, sheepish laugh. "'Scuse me, sorry. I'm not really from around here." She hoisted the shopkeeper to his feet and asked, "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of this shop?" She pulled out a piece of paper with an address scrawled on it.

The old man looked at it and gave an affirmative, "Mmhmm." He pointed, and the girl began to walk in that direction. She waved to him as she rounded the corner.

"I knew you were lost." Mercury's voice was cocky as he leaned against the wall with one leg up.

"Mercury," Emerald sighed, "I will seriously pay you to shut up."

The other teen stared at her hand, in which she held a wallet full of Lien. He still couldn't figure out how she did that. Reflexively, his hand lowered protectively over his pocket as he replied, "That's not your money."

"But it could be _yours_, for five minutes of silence," she offered.

Mercury looked thoughtful for a moment. He was a little bit taller than her, his outfit simpler. Long black pants that flowed down to his matching boots, and his gray vest with more touches of black. Segments of metal ran from his elbow to his wrist as makeshift armor, and his vest matched the color of his long gray hair and eyes. Mercury quirked his lips in a small frown. "No deal."

With an annoyed growl, Emerald threw away the stolen wallet after pocketing the Lien for herself and walked away, Mercury beginning to follow after her. "Fine."

He scoffed. "Whatever. You want me."

They headed through the streets, following the directions that the shopkeeper had given, taking in the variety of citizens

"So how much farther?" Mercury asked.

"A few blocks," she responded curtly.

He groaned. "Ugh, this place is so dull."

"Eh," said Emerald, "I kinda like it. Tall buildings, diverse culture…"

"And nice, dopey people who are easy to pickpocket," he teased her.

"That's every city," she said as she turned to face him

He adopted a mock-pleading voice and a begging stance. "_Oh, Emerald! Master Thief! Please don't take my money! I barely have enough to get by!"_

She shot him a look and walked past him with another growl, and he sighed. "Ugh… you're no fun today."

* * *

The door to _Tukson's Book Trade _opened with a jingle of its bell. Emerald and Mercury walked in and made themselves at home. Someone, presumably Tukson, was heard humming a tune in the back of the shop. Mercury took a moment to look at some books near the door. Emerald stepped up to the counter and rang a small, metal bell.

"Be right there!" came a deep, male voice from the back. A moment later, a large man in a red shirt came bustling through a door behind the counter, carrying an armful of books that obstructed his view as he walked out backwards. "Welcome to _Tukson's Book Trade_, home to every book under the sun." He set down the armful of books and turned towards Emerald. "How may I…" He paused mid sentence, a flicker of recognition scurrying across his face before he regained his composure. Emerald merely smiled politely.

"How can I help you?" Tukson tried again.

Mercury held an open book in his hand, but his eyes were staring directly at Tukson. "Just browsing," the metallic boy replied as he shut the book loudly with a _snap_.

Emerald leaned forward on the counter. "Actually, I was wondering… do you have any copies of _The Thief and the Butcher_?"

"Yes we do," came Tukson's reply.

"That's great!"

Slightly confused, the owner asked, "Would you… like a copy?"

"No, just wondering," she replied brightly. Tukson's gaze was drawn over her shoulder when Mercury closed another book with a startling slam. "Oh, oh!" Emerald said suddenly. "What about _Violet's Garden, _in paperback?"

"He's got it," came Mercury's voice from behind. "Hardback, too." He held up the book.

"Ooh, options are nice," commented Emerald.

Mercury opened the book. "Eh, no pictures." He slammed it shut. "Hey! Do you have any comics?"

"Near the front," Tukson supplied.

"Oh, no, wait!" She leaned forward further, and her smile darkened just a fraction. "What… about… _Third Crusade_?"

Tukson seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Um… I…" The teens both stared at him cautiously. "... don't believe we carry that one," the owner said.

"Oh." Mercury slammed another book shut.

"What was this place called again?" Emerald asked.

"_Tukson's Book Trade_," said Tukson, not enjoying the conversation.

"And you're Tukson?"

"That's right."

"So then I take it that you're the one that came up with the catchphrase?"

"Yes," replied the man.

"And what was it again?" Mercury chimed in.

Tukson sighed. "_Tukson's Book Trade_, home of every book under the sun.'"

"_Except _the _Third Crusade," _Mercury corrected.

"It's just a catchphrase," Tukson protested weakly.

"It's false advertising!" Mercury shot back with slight indignation.

For the first time, Emerald's kind smile slipped from her face. "You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep, Tukson." Mercury's hand found a switch on the wall, and slowly, the windows began to darken, making the inside of the shop unseeable to outside observers. "I hear that you're planning on leaving," Emerald continued. "Moving _all_ the way to Vacuo." Another window darkened. "Your brothers in the White Fang won't be happy to hear that." Mercury smiled sinisterly at Tukson as he darkened the last window. "And neither are we," Emerald finished. The teens stared Tukson down for a moment.

"You know who we are, don't you?" asked Emerald.

"Yes," Tukson said slowly, a new look crossing his face.

"And you know why we're here?"

"_Yes._"

"So… are you going to fight back?" Emerald looked at him expectantly.

"_Yes!"_ Tukson brought his hands up and snarled, claws springing from his fingers. He leaped up onto the countertop as Emerald and Mercury assumed fighting stances, backing up slightly. Tukson flew forward at Emerald with a swipe at her face, only for her to quickly dodge out of the way. Tukson could only look forward in surprise as his momentum carried him towards Mercury. The boy brought up one leg and kicked towards Tukson. A white flash and a bang came from Mercury's boot; then, everything went black.

* * *

No one paid much mind to the two teens that exited _Tukson's Book Trade _a few minutes later. Then again, no one had heard the loud bang from within the shop either.

Anyone close enough to hear would have heard the girl with the green hair ask her friend, "What's with that?" pointing to the comic in his hand. The boy shrugged. "I like the pictures."

* * *

The sketches on the page were images she had drawn a long time ago. A different lifetime. The new emblem, with the claws scratched across the wolf's head. The rose on the back of his coat, which she had never been able to get _exactly _perfect. A profile sketch of him from the back that he hadn't known she had drawn.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing," Blake said hastily as she closed the notebook. "Just going over notes from last semester.

A grape was flung into Yang's waiting mouth from another table. "Lame!" she said. Across the space between the tables, Nora giggled and fit another grape into her spoon. Yang caught another one, giving Nora a thumbs up and an appreciative, "Mmhmm!"

From the side, a large white binder was slammed onto the table. The words _Vytal Festival Activities, Property of Weiss Schnee _had been hastily crossed out and written over in large, red letters by a marker with the new words _Best Day Ever Activities_. Ruby Rose grinned as she cleared her throat and addressed her teammates over the general din of the cafeteria.

"Sisters… friends… Weiss!"

"Hey!" complained the heiress.

Ruby, unperturbed, continued, "Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream!"

"This ought to be good," Yang said dryly before catching another grape in her mouth.

"A dream," Ruby continued, "that one day, the four of us will come together, as a _team_, and have the most fun anyone has ever had… _ever!"_

Weiss, just noticing what Ruby had placed on the table, suddenly asked, "Did you steal my binder?"

To which Ruby replied, "I am not a crook!"

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked.

The leader pointed at her Faunus friend. "I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!"

"I always kick my semesters off with a _Yang!_" quipped her sister. "Eh? Guys? Am I right?"

Everyone's face showed their chagrin at her jokes. Yang was infamous for her bad puns. Nora threw an apple from JNPR's table that hit Yang square in the face in protest with a "Boo!" that drew a glare from the yellow-themed girl.

"Look guys, it's been a good two weeks, and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great. But classes start back up tomorrow! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today!" Ruby said chipperly.

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store," Weiss said. Yang, still a bit mad, grabbed a fruit of her own and hurled it at Nora, who ducked with a giggle as it soared over her head and hit another student.

"I don't know," Blake said with a frown. "I think I might sit this one out."

"Sit out or not, I think that however we spend this last day, we should do it as a team!" Weiss said with a reassuring look at Blake. Ever since their reconciliation at the docks, the heiress had been trying to stick by her friend as best she could. Blake gave Weiss an appreciative look, and Weiss stood.

"I for one think that—" Weiss began, before she was cut off unexpectedly. Nora was heard shouting, "I got it!" and a pie suddenly came hurtling across the room to hit Weiss square in the face mid sentence. Team RWBY looked over at JNPR's table. Pyrrha was watching with a shocked hand over her mouth, Jaune was watching with a wide-eyed expression with his head resting on a hand, Ren had his face in a palm, and Nora sheepishly smiled and pointed at Ren for responsibility.

* * *

"Man, that's harsh!" said Sun's friend Neptune as they walked along the side of the cafeteria building. Neptune Vasilias was one of Sun's closest friends, the "N" on their team, SSSN, pronounced like Sun's name. He was a hair taller than Sun, and his hair was a bright, almost neon blue. He wore a red sports jacket that opened at the neck to reveal a white undershirt and gray pants, and a pair of orange goggles were stretched across his brow. Neptune, along with their other two teammates – Scarlet and Sage – had just arrived a day or so ago on an incoming boat from Mistral, while Sun had stowed away and arrived two weeks earlier from Vacuo, where he had been visiting family. Currently, Sun was regaling Neptune with his tale of how he had met Blake and their titanic battle with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick at the docks a couple weeks prior.

"I know!" Sun went on energetically. "We were fighting side by side. She was super fast and I threw a banana at the guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome."

"_Nice!_" replied his blue-haired friend.

"Right? And the best part is, she's a Faunus!" Sun suddenly grew more serious, as if he had divulged a secret. "But that's a secret, okay?"

"Got it," Neptune said.

"And not a, 'I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back' secret, I'm talking _secret _secret."

"Woah, chill out, man, okay? I got it!" Neptune flashed him a smile. "_I got it!"_

"You better. I just don't want to screw this up, you know?" The duo walked on, unaware as stains began to appear on the windows of the cafeteria beside them and a foodfight began to erupt. "The people here are the coolest! No offense to you guys."

"None taken," Neptune said smoothly.

They turned the corner and stopped in front of the main entrance to the cafeteria. "They're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them. So be cool, okay?" Sun gave his friend another serious look. "You're gonna be cool, right?"

"Dude." Neptune crossed his arms and adopted his most charming smile, his teeth glinting in the sun. Neptune was known to be the king of cool at Haven.

Sun nodded. "Good point," he admitted.

They turned and pushed open the doors to the cafeteria, then were almost bowled over by the stampede of fleeing students, some covered in food stains. "Foodfight!" someone yelled. Sun wore an open-mouthed smile, while Neptune was staring with a look of worried shock at the scene before them.

At the far side of the cafeteria, it seemed like most of the tables had been either thrown or stacked into a ramshackle wooden mountain. Pyrrha, Ren, Jaune, and Nora stood atop the stacked tower, Nora letting out a crazy laugh. "Ahahahahaha! I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!" she sang in her singsong voice.

Across the room, Ruby stared down team JNPR. "Justice will be swift!" she cried, with a milk carton in one hand and the other pointed at the other team. "Justice will be painful!" She crushed the milk carton and punched the fist into the air. "It will be… _delicious!"_

Behind her, Blake, Yang, and Weiss let out similar cries, and Team RWBY rushed forward. The foodfight began.

Nora cried, "Off with their heads!" gleefully as she and her teammates leaped down from their makeshift tower. Ren began to kick dropped watermelons from the kitchen towards the approaching girls. Jaune and Pyrrha hurled the green fruits rapidly, while Nora flipped a table of the cannonball-sized produce and sent a storm of watermelons hurtling towards Team RWBY.

"Yang, turkey!" cried Ruby, pointing to two discarded meals on the ground. Yang leaped forward and fit a turkey on each wrist, banging them together like her gauntlets as she began to punch down the rain of watermelons in bright bursts of juicy red color. Blake leaped in front of her and grabbed two long baguettes that she wielded as swords, joining Yang in her destruction of the fruity missiles. They cut through the watermelons with ease, Yang hurling the turkeys on her wrists towards JNPR.

Pyrrha ducked out of the way, but Jaune wasn't as quick, and the birds caught him square in the head, sending him back, then onto his back. Pyrrha recovered and seized her own loaf of bread, locking in an intense face-off with Blake, who leaped in to engage her. The girls traded blows, with Blake decoying around to avoid some strikes and get better angles of attack. She jumped up into the air and hurled one of her long weapons like a spear, sending the projectile towards Pyrrha. The redhead dodged out of the way, leaving the baguette broken on the ground, and charged forward, striking Blake right as she fell. Her own weapon broken, Pyrrha seized Blake's as the Faunus girl lost her grip and was thrown backwards. Adopting Blake's strategy, Pyrrha began to hurl the bread like spears at the other team.

Yang managed to block two before a third caught her in an open spot and knocked her off of the table she had been standing on. Ruby came in on a cafeteria tray as her sister went down, riding the plastic tray skateboard-style along the table as she knocked plates and cups in all directions. She flipped up and used the tray to block another spear from Pyrrha, who dodged as the bread was sent back to her. Ruby came back down on her feet, riding along until she made contact with Pyrrha. The older girl blocked, but Ruby pushed back off of the tray, her momentum sending Pyrrha tumbling onto her back as the reaper flipped clear.

Ren and Nora jumped in where Pyrrha had fallen, rushing forward to Ruby. However, Ruby merely ducked back as Weiss appeared in front of her, wielding a bottle of ketchup. With a strong squeeze, Weiss unleashed the sauce onto the floor, causing Ren to slip and go crashing into a pile of tables. Nora managed to avoid the hazard and leaped into the air, seizing a vacant flagpole protruding from the wall. The metal rod in hand, she sank the end into a watermelon and began to battle the way she was most comfortable: with a hammer.

Ruby took the hit for Weiss, flying backwards from Nora's powerful strike. Weiss searched for a weapon and came up with a swordfish in hand. What student had been eating the swordfish, Weiss could only guess, but the long tip was not unsimilar to her own weapon. Makeshift rapier in hand, Weiss dashed forward and delivered a blow that knocked Nora back. She came back forward, and the heiress proceeded to engage Nora in a furious flurry of strikes and slashes. In the end, Nora's weapon had the upper hand with its longer reach, and Weiss went flying back into one of the cafeteria's large columns with a loud _crash_. Ruby was there to catch her friend, who had been hit pretty hard and was out in her arms.

"Weiss, Weiss! Don't leave me!" Ruby cried dramatically. As the column collapsed behind her, Ruby unleashed a theatrical "_Noooooo!"_, while Yang decided to reenter the fight. The blond boxer grabbed two more turkeys from the floor, and looked forward to meet her challenger.

Ren, just emerging from the tables, stepped up to the challenge, finding a pair of leeks and meeting Yang head on. He blocked her first strike, and for a moment, they sized each other up, her foot blocked by his weapon. Then, they began.

She kicked high, and he ducked, sending a knee into her midsection. Yang absorbed the blow and dodged his second strike, replying with a left hook that sent him back a step. She advanced, raining down the blows and blocking his, until she finally launched the unfortunate man into the air. Undeterred, Ren threw the leeks, which Yang easily dodged before jumping up to meet him with a devastating punch that sent him back down into the cluttered and by now severely damaged tables in an explosion of wood, plates, cups, and food.

Nora, seeing where her friend had fallen, eagerly rushed to his aid, forcing Yang back with her melon hammer. The girls rushed forward and let out a battle cry as one, Yang's fist sailing for Nora's face while Nora's hammer swept upward towards Yang's torso. In the end, the hammer once again prevailed, as Yang was sent spinning up into the sky, actually crashing through the roof above from the power of the blow.

Blake, who had been stealthily observing the battle, dodged backwards as the debris from the ceiling fell. Seizing a chain of sausage links like a whip, she twirled the rope of meat around her and lashed into Nora, who crashed back into a soda machine. The orange-haired girl took notice of the cans lying strewn about on the floor and used them to her advantage, shaking one up and tossing it at Blake like a grenade. The Faunus flipped backwards in escape, bobbing and weaving as Nora chucked more of the fizzy drinks at her.

Pyrrha picked up on Nora's strategy and utilized her Semblance, magnetizing the cans and sending hundreds of them flying towards Blake. Blake had no hope of dodging so many of the cans at once and was helplessly pummeled in place by the explosions of color. In the end, Blake was launched back across the cafeteria by the sticky explosions, leaving Ruby as the last member of her team standing against Team JNPR.

Ruby dashed forward, utilizing her own Semblance in a unique way. She sprinted down the cafeteria's tables and began to twist herself as she ran, creating a vortex of speed that began to suck up everything in the cafeteria. Ruby stopped at the wall, the sudden absence of speed cracking its surface, before she leaped clear. Plates, cups, food, tables, chairs, and Team JNPR were all sucked up by the vacuum and hurled against the wall. The students hit first and could only watch as the food and drink hurtled towards them, staining them all kinds of different colors as the windy storm finally abated and Ruby came down on a table, with Team JNPR slowly sliding down the wall.

Sun, who had watched the whole thing and managed to somehow stay clean, turned to Neptune, who hadn't been so fortunate, evidenced by the large purple splotches covering his face and upper body. "I love these guys," Sun said to his messy friend. Both of them turned as the door behind them opened and an angry blond woman with glasses and a purple cape that they'd never seen before walked in.

Glynda glowered at the mess that had befallen the cafeteria, then stretched out her wand and activated her telekinesis. Chairs, tables, plates, cups, even food and drink that had been thrown aside or broken or splattered began to fly through the air and be fixed. A few moments later, the only evidence of the fight were the stained wall and the hole in the ceiling where Yang had been sent flying.

Glynda fixed the two messy teams with a pointed stare as she pushed up her glasses. "Children, _please,_ do not play with your food."

The teams gathered in the center of the cafeteria, completely exhausted and covered in stains and splotches from food and drink. Nora let out a loud burp, and Yang finally returned to Remnant, creating another hole in the ceiling as she crashed back into the mess hall.

Glynda grimaced as the children began to laugh, but a soothing voice from behind her stopped her teacherly lecture. "Let it go," Ozpin said in that calm voice of his, and Glynda sighed.

"They're supposed to be the defenders of the world," Glynda softly protested as the two teachers gazed upon the group of friends as they laughed and joked about their food fight. Yang shot the teachers a thumbs-up with a huge, beaming smile on her face.

"And they will be," Ozpin agreed, "but right now, they're still children." He paused. Glynda turned to look at him as he continued, "So why not let them play the part?" He turned and walked away, finishing ominously, "After all… it isn't a role they'll have forever."

* * *

The warehouse was alive with activity when Emerald and Mercury returned that afternoon. White Fang soldiers rushed here and there with different responsibilities, some unloading a nearby Bullhead, others pushing or stacking crates of Dust. The sounds of welding and machinery were loud, and a metallic scent hung thick in the air.

Roman Torchwick turned from where he had been inspecting his map of Vale, and his eyes lit up in a faux smile at the sight of the two teens. "Oh, look, she sent the kids again!" he said as he walked towards them. He pulled them into a three-person hug from behind, arms around their heads. "This is turning out just like the divorce."

Emerald shuddered. "_Uhh. _Spare us the thought of you procreating."

"That was a joke," Torchwick said, the mirth gone from his voice as he walked past them, Melodic Cudgel in hand. "And this…" he continued as he held up a small slip of paper, "just might tell me where you two have been all day."

"Wha–?" Emerald let out a surprised gasp as she felt around her person and realized that the address of _Tukson's Book Trade_ was missing. To her disbelieving gaze, Roman grinned. "I'm a professional, sweetheart. Pay attention, maybe you'll learn something." His smile vanished as he inspected the paper. "Why do you have this address?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald said spitefully.

"Yeah, I would!" Torchwick shot back. "Now, _where _have you two been all day?"

"Cleaning up _your _problems," Mercury put in. "One of them, at least."

"I had that under control," Roman bit out in an edged voice.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise," Mercury replied defiantly.

"Listen, you little punk!" Roman spat. "If it were up to me, I would take you and your little street rat friend here and I would-"

"Do _what, _Roman?" a new voice said from above, a voice that was silken and practiced to have an alluring tone. All three of them found their attention drawn behind Emerald and Mercury, to where an elevator to the catwalk above was built. Atop the elevator platform, a woman walked into view. She gazed down upon the confrontation with fiery amber eyes, her short red dress meeting her long, raven hair at the shoulders and neckline. The golden designs on the dress' sleeves seemed to shimmer and glow slightly, and the blue feather at her waist fluttered a bit as the service elevator began to lower.

Torchwick, not prepared for the arrival of his boss, chuckled nervously. "I'd, _ah_… _not _kill them?"

"Cinder!" Emerald exclaimed, obviously both surprised and happy to see her mentor, her first genuine smile of the day spreading across her face.

"I thought I made it clear that you were to eliminate the would-be runaway?" Cinder made it more a statement than a question, her honey-smooth voice fixing Roman on the spot.

Between gritted teeth, Roman ground out, "I was going to…"

Emerald cut in. "_He _was going to escape to Vacuo," she said of Tukson. "Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I think he was some sort of cat, actually," Mercury mused.

The green-haired girl turned to him. "What, like a puma?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, there you go."

"Quiet." The command was delivered calmly and softly, yet the intimidation in immediately silenced both teens as they fixed their attention on Cinder. "Did I not _specifically _instruct you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale?" Roman, enjoying their predicament, quietly snickered and pointed at them from behind Cinder.

"I just thought…" Emerald began.

"Don't think. _Obey."_ Cinder gave the order with the same quiet menace she always seemed to carry about her. Roman drew a finger over his neck at them in mockery.

"Yes, ma'am," Emerald acceded, humbled. "It won't happen again."

"And you." Roman let out another laugh of trepidation as Cinder focused her gaze on him. "Why wasn't this job done sooner?"

"Uhh… eh? _Eh? Eh?!" _Torchwick motioned with his cane and his hands at the activity and equipment around them at the moment. "_Sorry _if I've been a little busy stealing every speck of Dust in the Kingdom!" he protested.

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask," Mercury said sarcastically.

"Look around, kid; I've got this town running scared." Roman gestured to Mercury with Melodic Cudgel with each point he made. "Police camping out at every corner, Dust prices through the roof, _and_, we're sitting pretty in an old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than we know what to do with!"

He spun towards Cinder. "Speaking of which," he said, his confidence growing, "if you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your grand master plan, it _might _actually make my next string of robberies go a little _smoother!"_

Rather than be angered, Cinder adopted a soothing tone as she walked towards the criminal. "Oh Roman, have a little faith." She placed a hand under his chin and looked directly into his eyes. "You'll know what you need when you need to know." As if a reminder of who was in charge, her eyes narrowed and glowed slightly, as well as the designs up her arm.

Roman gave a frustrated grunt and looked away.

"Besides," she said, her hand dropping away, "we're done with Dust." Emerald and Mercury exchanged a glance. Apparently, it was news to them as well.

"Okaaay…" Roman said, "then what now?"

"We're moving." Cinder began to walk away, speaking to him over his shoulder. "Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?" Roman repeated, eyes narrowing in confusion.

She turned and gave him a smile. "We're proceeding to phase two." With that, she continued walking, apparently done with her instructions, and Mercury and Emerald followed after her.

With another annoyed sigh, Roman reached into his coat and pulled out a cigar as he watched them go. He felt for his lighter in both pockets when he heard it being lit in front of him. He looked up and saw the lit metal casing in Emerald's hand, who stuck out her tongue at him before she shut the lighter and walked away.


	22. Welcome to Beacon

**Chapter Two: Welcome to Beacon**

The sound of whooshing engines and thrusters firing from above drew the eye of many a citizen of the Kingdom of Vale as several white military ships began their descent towards the grounds of Beacon Academy. The pride and joy of the Kingdom of Atlas, the Atlesian Air Fleet had been developed by the northernmost Kingdom after the Great War, using newfound Dust reserves and techniques to transform both the airships and the soldiers that ran them into a fearful sight for any foe. Currently, there was no war to fight, so the only purpose the ships served was to signal the arrival of the headmaster of Atlas Academy, General James Ironwood.

Ozpin and Glynda both watched with poorly masked trepidation as the Atlesian Air Fleet descended upon the school. "Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels," Glynda commented with disdain.

"Well," the headmaster replied, "running an academy _and _a military makes him a busy man." His lips curled downward in a concerned grimace as more Bullheads began to land. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." There came a beeping from behind them, and Ozpin turned to his desk to notice a flashing, "Access Requested" notification on his desk. "Come in!" he called to whomever was waiting at the door.

Glynda turned with him as the doors to Ozpin's office slid open and the general himself walked into the office. "Ozpin!" Ironwood said politely as he entered. James Ironwood was a large man, tall and clearly physically fit. His upper body was covered in a broad, white overcoat, underneath which rested a smaller gray undercoat and a black vest. At his neck was knotted a small red tie, and his white pants ran down to tuck into gray boots. The general's hair remained a startling black in most places, though along the sides he wore thick patches of grayish-silver, the first signs of middle-age. A small strip of metal was attached to his head above his right eyebrow, and he wore a white glove on the corresponding hand.

"Hello, General," Ozpin greeted the other man, standing at attention behind the desk.

"Please, drop the formalities," Ironwood requested with a smile as he came around the desk to shake hands with his friend and fellow headmaster. "It's been too long." His attention was caught by Glynda as she approached, and his smile widened a bit. "And Glynda! It has _certainly _been too long since we last met."

"Oh, James!" Glynda said with a voice that gave no hint of charm and a flippant wave. Turning to Ozpin, she ceased with pleasantries and curtly said, "I'll be outside," before walking to the office's door.

Ironwood stared after her a moment as she disappeared through the door, his smile turning a tad wistful. "Well, she hasn't changed a bit."

Ozpin turned his attention to the steaming kettle that he had prepared earlier upon learning of Ironwood's arrival. Grabbing a spare mug with the kettle, he poured as he spoke. "So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas? Headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival." He offered the general the mug, which Ironwood accepted with a nod.

"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year." Ironwood reached into his coat and pulled out a small canteen, the contents of which he poured to mix with his drink. "Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up."

Ozpin walked back around his desk and sat as he poured himself a mug of coffee. "I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends; however, the small fleet outside my window has me concerned."

James' face suddenly turned serious. "Well, concerned is what brought me here."

"I understand that travel between Kingdoms has become increasingly difficult," Ozpin stalled futilely.

Ironwood fixed his friend with an earnest stare. "Oz, you and I both know why I brought those men."

Ozpin sipped at his mug and set it down on the desk. "We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this are just going to give off the wrong impression." He gestured with his hands to indicate the fleet beneath them.

Ironwood set his own drink down. "But if what Qrow said is true…"

Ozpin cut him off. "If what Qrow says is true, then we will handle it tactfully." He placed emphasis on the statement with a pointed finger. "It's the Vytal Festival. A time to celebrate unity and peace. So I suggest that you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."

"I'm just being cautious."

"As am I," affirmed Beacon's headmaster. "Which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."

"Believe me, I am." Ironwood turned solemnly towards the door and stopped before he left the room. He turned and looked back at Ozpin. "But ask yourself this: Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?" With that, the general walked out the door.

Ozpin stared after his leaving friend, softly answering to himself, "I hope they never have to."

* * *

Blissfully unaware of the tense meeting between the headmasters, Teams RWBY and JNPR quietly continued to enjoy their final day off of school in the campus library, Team RWBY enraptured in the middle of a round of _Remnant: The Game_ while Team JNPR alternately slept, studied, or read.

"Hmmm… alright… alright…" Ruby pointed to her sister across the table. "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your Kingdom for battle!"

"Bring it on!" Yang accepted the challenge with a confident fist pump.

"I deploy… the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby slapped the card down on the table as Yang looked on with a dramatic gasp. "Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" The reaper made airplane noises and shapes with her mouth and hands.

Yang gave Ruby a look of mock-indignation. "You fiend!"

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time is only… one turn!" Ruby grinned at her sister, proud of the move. However, her smile vanished as Yang gave a cocky chuckle.

"Pretty sneaky, sis," Yang conceded as she held up a card of her own, "but you just activated my trap card!"

"_Whaaaat?!"_

"Giant Nevermore!" Yang threw the card down. She smirked across the table at Ruby. "If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!"

"But, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces!" Ruby said back with confidence.

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take," said the boxer.

Sounds of distress from Ruby and triumph from Yang carried over to JNPR's table, where Nora was softly snoring from beneath the turned pages of Ren's textbook. Jaune was reading a comic, which Pyrrha gently took from his hands and replaced with his own textbook to his disappointment, before opening the comic herself as a few game pieces flew by their heads.

"No!" Ruby moaned, her forces vanquished thanks to Yang's trap card and good fortune. "Well, Weiss," said the blonde, "it's your turn!"

The heiress looked at her cards blankly. "I have… absolutely no idea what's going on." She hadn't exactly been born in a house where board games were the norm.

"Look, it's easy!" Yang said as she sidled up to Weiss. "You're playing as Vacuo which means that all Vacuo based cards come with a bonus."

"That sounds dumb."

Yang pointed through Weiss' hand. "See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenger… Oh, oh! Resourceful Raider!" she said excitedly, picking a card. "See, now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet—"

"No!" whined the reaper sadly.

"—and put it in _your _hand!"

"_Okay."_ Weiss was following as best she could.

Yang went on with her explanation. "And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against Natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable _my _ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my Kingdom!" She pointed at Weiss as her explanatory smile disappeared. "Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war." She slid back around the table to her chair.

Completely lost, Weiss asked, "And that means…?"

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby cried mournfully.

Suddenly realizing her luck, Weiss let out a triumphant and not entirely sane laugh. "Yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!"

"Trap card."

"Huh?" Weiss said in confusion as Yang interrupted her tyrannical speech and swept the heiress' pieces off of the board. Yang leaned back with a smile on her face. "Your armies have been destroyed!"

Weiss fell back into the chair heavily. "Oh, I hate this game of emotions we play!"

Ruby leaped into her arms. "Stay strong, Weiss," she said in a teary voice, "we'll make it through this together!"

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss snapped as she pulled Ruby tighter.

Yang rolled her eyes at the melodramatic display from her sister and Weiss and turned to Blake, who had been sitting on the sidelines with a distracted, far-away look in her eye. "Alright, Blake, you're up!"

"Oh, um, sorry," the Faunus girl said, snapping out of her thoughts. "What am I doing?"

Yang stared at her. "You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the Kingdoms of Remnant!"

"Right," Blake said unsurely.

"Hey!" Jaune approached the all-girl team from JNPR's table. "Can I play?"

"Sorry Jaune!" Ruby said, "we've already got four people."

"Besides," Weiss began in a condescending voice, "this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you possess."

"Uh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago," Yang reminded her, prompting an annoyed noise from the heiress.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen!" Jaune looked ready to accept the challenge. "I'll have you know that I have been told that I am a natural born leader!"

"By who, your mother?"

"A-and Pyrrha!" Jaune stuttered

"Hello again!" Pyrrha called with a wave as she heard her name.

"Come on!" the scraggly blonde begged with folded hands, "let me play your hand for a turn!"

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" protested Weiss.

"Why not?" Jaune asked back. "You've trusted me with _way _more important stuff before. I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a Fa—"

Pyrrha's gloved hand appeared over his mouth before he could finish. "Fun-loving person," Pyrrha finished frantically, "whom we all admire and respect!"

Jaune's nervous chuckle and Blake's annoyed glare revealed that the damage had been done. "Right, that," Jaune corrected. Deciding to quit before he said something else stupid, Jaune bowed to team RWBY as Pyrrha walked back to her seat. "Ladies, enjoy your battle."

"'Sup losers?" came the by-now familiar voice of Sun, who approached them with a blue-haired boy in a red vest and goggles that none of them had seen before.

"Hey, Sun!" Ruby greeted cheerfully.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake… Ice Queen," Sun greeted the girls in turn.

Weiss huffed at her disliked nickname. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend," the monkey Faunus said, drawing their attention to Neptune.

"Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune asked as he took in the board game.

"_Thank you!" _came a shouted exclamation from Ren as he threw up his arms, who had been drowning out the drama at RWBY's table the entire time. Nora snorted and cried "Pancakes!" as Ren's raised voice woke her from her nap and her head shot up.

"Shut up," Sun said to his friend, "don't be a nerd."

"Eh, eh eh eh! '_Intellectual', _okay? Thank you," protested the blue-haired boy before he gave a small wave. "I'm Neptune."

"So, Neptune," Weiss asked, "where are you from?" It was fair to say that the heiress had taken a moment to admire Neptune's looks when he had approached.

"Haven," replied the self-called intellectual as he approached Weiss. "And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Umm, I'm Weiss," replied the heiress, slightly flustered. Another thing she hadn't had much experience with back home were guys who weren't after her for her money.

From the background, Jaune, who had been trying to get to Weiss since their first day at Beacon, let out an exasperated, "Are you kidding me?"

"Pleasure to meet you," Neptune said suavely.

Leaving his best friend to stare heart-eyes at the Ice Queen, Sun turned to Blake. "I never took you as the board game playing type."

"Right," Blake said distractedly as she stood. "Well, I think I'm done playing, actually." She shoved Sun aside as she walked away. "I'll see you guys later."

The teams, Sun, and Neptune watched her go with concern. "Women," said Nora with a shrug, drawing everyone's eye.

* * *

"_Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?"_

"_The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together."_

Blake sat on her bed by the window with her knees folded up and her arms wrapped around her legs as voices, her own and Roman Torchwick's, rushed through her head, her mind replaying the battle at the docks the semester before for the latest time over the past month. She thought back to how Ozpin had pulled her aside when they had returned to the academy that night…

"_Well, this has certainly been an eventful evening," Ozpin said as he entered the room. She sat at the other chair, across from his, and gave a small sound of acknowledgement in response to his question._

"_I'm sure that after a night of thwarting attempted robbery, you probably just want to go home and take a nap," the headmaster continued. "But, I was hoping that maybe we could have a chance to talk."_

"_Of course," Blake said simply._

"_Wonderful." He gave her a pointed stare. "As you know, in order to enroll at my academy, students must first pass a rigorous entrance exam. Most applicants spend years of preparation training at one of the many combat schools around the world." He paused for a moment. "You are one of the few that did not. And you passed the exam with flying colors."_

"_I was raised outside the Kingdoms," Blake explained. "If you can't fight, you can't survive."_

"_Well, you have most certainly survived, Blake. I admire your drive. And I am proud to run a school that accepts individuals from all walks of life. Rich, poor, Human…" He sipped his coffee. "Faunus…"_

_She glared at his implication._

"_Why do you wear that bow, Blake?" the professor asked in a tired voice. "Why hide who you are?"_

"_You may be willing to accept the Faunus, Professor Ozpin, but your _species _is not."_

"_True," Ozpin acknowledged the unfortunate statement, "but we are continuing to take strides to lessen the divide."_

_Her tone was a tad accusatory as she replied, "With all due respect, you need to start taking some larger strides. Until then, I'd rather avoid any unnecessary attention. I want people to see me for _who _I am, not _what _I am."_

_He looked at her thoughtfully. "And what are you?"_

_Taken aback, she stuttered, "I-I don't understand what you're asking."_

"_How did you know the White Fang would be at the shipyard tonight?"_

"_I didn't." Her tone was defensive now. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."_

"_You wouldn't have been the first," he acceded. "But what happened tonight was not an isolated incident. I may be your headmaster, but I am also a Huntsman, and it is my sworn duty to protect this world from the forces that conspire against it." He gave her an inquisitive look. "Blake, are you sure there is nothing else you would like to tell me?"_

_She didn't bat an eyelash. "I'm sure."_

"_Very well," Ozpin said as he stood. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Belladonna." He turned and walked for the door, but stopped and looked back at her. "If you ever need to talk to me, please, don't hesitate to ask." With that, he shut the door behind him… _

"Ugh! We should have never let him play!" Yang complained as the rest of Team RWBY walked into their dorm room.

Blake stood to leave as Ruby replied, "You're just mad 'cuz the new guy beat you! See, if you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened."

Blake's hand reached for the doorknob.

"_Stop."_

Weiss's command froze her fingers before they could close on the metal. Blake slowly turned to face her teammate's demand. "Lately, you've been quiet, antisocial, and moody!" the heiress said.

"Uhh, have you met Blake?" asked Yang.

"Which I get, is kinda your _thing,"_ Weiss acquiesced. "But you've been doing it more than usual! Which, quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to _me,_ to _all of us, _that you would let us know if something was wrong." She paused, then leaped up into the air and came down on a precariously balanced chair, finger outstretched towards Blake. "So, Blake Belladonna, what is wrong?"

Weiss felt her feet shift on the chair and sheepishly hurried down, returning the chair to its spot and stood back beside the other two girls, awaiting Blake's explanation.

"I just—I don't understand how everyone can be so calm," Blake began.

Ruby gave her a sympathetic look. "You're still thinking about Torchwick?"

"Torchwick, the White Fang, _all of it!_ Something big is happening and no one is

doing anything about it!"

Yang looked at her reassuringly. "Ozpin told us not worry," she said with a soothing tone. "Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it."

"Well I'm _not!" _Blake protested. "They don't know the White Fang like I do!"

Weiss called their attention. "Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think that you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells…"

"Uh, who?" Ruby asked with confusion. Weiss ignored the comment. "But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"

"Well, yeah, but…" Ruby began feebly.

Weiss looked at her and firmly stated, "We're _not _ready!"

"And we may never _be _ready!" Blake replied, her voice rising. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day." She pointed to the door for effect. "They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not."

Ruby began to motion like crazy for their attention and spoke quicker than Professor Oobleck. "Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale… say aye!"

Yang pumped her fist. "Yes! I _love _it when you're feisty!"

Weiss looked thoughtful momentarily. "Well, I suppose it could be fun."

"None of you said aye," Ruby mumbled disappointedly.

"Alright then," Blake said with an appreciative smile. "We're in this together!"

"Let's hatch a plan!" the redheaded leader said enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" agreed Yang.

Ruby gasped. "I left my board game at the library!"

Weiss put a hand to her head. "We're doomed."

Ruby dashed out of the room into the hallway, calling to the open door, "I'll be right back!" Before she could turn around, she ran into someone walking down the hall with an "Oof!" She looked up apologetically. "Oh, sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," replied the girl she had run into. The girl wore the academy uniform of Haven, signalling an exchange student here for the Vytal Festival, with dark skin, glittering red eyes, and short green hair that trailed into two thin pigtails behind her shoulders. "Just watch where you're going." Another Haven student, this one a boy with grayish-silver hair, stood beside her as she extended a hand to Ruby and helped her to her feet.

"Oh, right, sorry." Ruby giggled nervously, a bit embarrassed. "Uh, I'm Ruby! Are you new?"

"Visiting from Haven, actually," came another female voice, this one sounding a little older, from behind the two students. They parted to reveal a third student, this one a woman with amber-colored eyes and long, midnight-black hair. She spoke with a smooth voice and a slight smile as the group regarded Ruby, and she in turn took in the new arrival. Cinder and Ruby met eyes for a moment.

"_Ooh! _You're here for the festival!" Ruby said excitedly. A thought occurred to her. "But exchange students have their own dormitory."

"I guess we just got turned around," the silver-haired boy said.

"Hey, don't worry, it happens all the time!" Mercury and Emerald walked past Ruby as she motioned directions. "Uh, your building is just _east _of here."

Cinder nodded as she walked past Ruby. "Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe!" Ruby waved after the disappearing students and called, "Oh, uh, and welcome to Beacon!" Cinder grinned slightly at the irony, and her eyes glowed a bit brighter.


	23. A Minor Hiccup

**Chapter Three: A Minor Hiccup**

Weiss stared at her clock as it ticked with agonizing slowness towards the end of the hour. Professor Port's lecture turned storytelling had long since devolved into background noise, and it didn't help her impatient nerves that today was the day she and her team had decided to start their investigation into the White Fang's activities. To top it off, she had ended up sitting this hour next to Jaune, who was currently bugging her about going on a potential date.

"So, Weiss," the blonde leader of JNPR was stammering, "y'know, uh, I-I was thinking after this, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat?" He turned towards Port to appear attentive, then quickly whirled around again. "And, uh um, I-I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie, if you wanna make the trip to Vale. I hear it's _awesome." _He paused uncertainly at her apparent lack of interest. "And maybe after that, we could study together? I mean, you're smart and I'm, uh… Y'know."

The clock beeped, and the school alarm to signal the end of classes began to sound, much to the heiress' apparent relief. "And then I—" Port was saying, in the middle of a story when he realized that the bell had rung. "Oh. Timed that one wrong, I guess. Well, the stunning conclusion to this story will have to wait. Until next time!"

Weiss began to anxiously pack up her Scroll as Jaune asked, "Weiss? Did you hear me?"

Weiss answered his questions without even a glance. "No, no, no, yes," and away she walked, leaving Jaune to groan at his latest futile effort to gain her attention. The rest of team RWBY filed out of class after the Ice Queen, Yang ruffling his hair as she passed with a sympathetic, "One day."

* * *

"I thought that class would _never _end," Blake said later as the team gathered up their weapons and prepared for their self-assigned mission. They had all adopted outfits alternative to their normal non-school clothes and sat on their beds, waiting for some cue to spark them to action.

Ruby took up the call to arms, sitting in her hanging bed above Weiss. "Alright, guys, today's the day! The investigation _begins!"_ She hopped down to the floor with her arms excitedly raised and almost landed on Weiss.

The heiress snorted at her leader's childishness. "I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously."

"Hey, we've got a plan!" Yang piped up. "That's… moderately serious."

"Right," the young leader said. "Everyone remember their roles?"

Weiss spoke up first. "You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

Blake was next. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

Yang followed up, "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows _everything _going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard…" She smiled faintly. She hadn't been to Junior's club since before she had entered into Beacon. It would be interesting to see what his reaction was to her return after all this time. She wondered if the glass had been fixed yet.

Ruby finished out the team. "Great! We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found." She pumped her fist. "Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" came a familiar, male voice from outside the window. The girls took a startled step back as one when they noticed the smiling boy hanging upside down by his monkey tail outside their window. "Sun!" Blake cried in alarmed surprise.

"How did you get up there?" Yang asked.

"Ah, it's easy; I do it all the time," he responded dismissively.

"You do _what?!" _Weiss cried, a sudden thought occurring to her.

"I climb trees all the time!" Sun said, failing to pick up Weiss' implications or her angry scowl. He flipped into the room. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"_We _are going to investigate the situation," Blake said pointedly as she stepped forward, "as a _team."_

Ruby scratched her head. "Sorry, Sun. We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."

"Psh, that's dumb!" he scoffed. "We should alway get friends involved! That's why I brought Neptune!" he said as he threw a thumb over his shoulder.

RWBY leaned out the room and noticed the blue-haired boy to their right, pressed against the side of the building. He gave them an easygoing smile. "'Sup?"

"How did you even get up here?" Ruby asked.

"I have my ways," he grinned. However, the smile vanished as he began to wobble on his narrow ledge. "Seriously, though, can I come in? We're like, _really _high up right now."

Once Neptune had been helped inside, the four girls and two boys stood in a circle as Ruby revised their plan to account for Sun and Neptune's appearance. "Alright, I'll go with Weiss; Sun, you can go with Blake." She pushed Neptune over to her sister, missing the sly wink that he threw the heiress. Weiss' face momentarily reflected a look of nervous surprise, before she shook her head. "And Neptune," Ruby finished, "you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. Everyone good?"

Weiss raised a hand slightly. "Actually, Rubby, why don't _you _go with Yang? After all, she _is _your sister."

Ruby looked at her, confused. "But Weiss, who would go with you then?"

Weiss attempted a nonchalant look as she replied, "Well… I guess Neptune could come with me." Neptune gave her a suave grin and cocked a finger at her.

Ruby, failing to pick up on Weiss' intention, laughed. "Nah!" she said as she grabbed the heiress by her collar and dragged her out the door behind her, unheeding of Weiss' powerless attempts to reach out for Neptune and her hopeless cry of, "But! _But!" _

* * *

"Woooow!" Ruby gasped in awe as they looked up at the CCT tower. "I forget how big the Transmit tower looks up close!" The tower was a separate structure from the rest of Beacon Academy in the middle of the campus, a tall, wide structure that was supported by four low legs for stability and rose pointed like a beacon of its own in the sky. At the top of Beacon's CCT tower was Ozpin's personal office, where he managed the school and handled Kingdom affairs for Vale's ruling council in concern with Beacon or Huntsmen activities.

Weiss took in her reaction to the spire. "You should see the one in Atlas!"

"That was the first one, right?"

"Correct," the Ice Queen affirmed. They walked down the path to the tower as Weiss went into the history of the CCTS. "Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four Kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

Ruby adopted a pedigreed voice as she mimicked Weiss. "'Oh, look at me! My name's Weiss! I know facts, I'm rich!'" She giggled into her hands.

"Don't be a pest," Weiss said with a frown. "Besides, the only reason we're here is because _you _like the tower so much! We could have just as easily made a call from the library!"

"I know, but it's so _coool! _Oh, I'm going to take a picture." Ruby reached into a pocket for her Scroll, but the device flew out of her hands in the excitement, where it landed a few meters away at the feet of a girl… a familiar girl with ginger hair tied up by a pink bow, freckles, green eyes and black pants, who knelt to pick up the dropped Scroll. In a friendly voice, she extended the Scroll to its owner and said, "You dropped this."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "_Penny?!"_

Penny was equally unexpecting of Ruby's sudden appearance. "Uhh…"

"Where have you been?" Ruby asked with concern. "We haven't seen you since that night at the docks!"

"S-sorry," the ginger said hurriedly, "I think you're confused." She suddenly hiccuped, the movement tossing the Scroll back into Ruby's hands. "Uh… I've got to go!" She quickly turned and began to walk away, leaving Ruby confused and surprised at the reunion and Penny's quick departure.

Weiss, who hadn't arrived at the docks until after Penny was already gone and thus, had never met the girl, stared at Ruby. "What was that about?"

"I don't know." Ruby gazed after Penny determinedly. "But I'm going to find out." She began to walk after Penny, shouting over her shoulder to Weiss, "You go make your call! I'll meet up with you later!"

"Wait!" Weiss cried, but she lowered her hand before it completely rose and sighed angrily as Ruby quickly grew farther and farther away from her.

Ruby came up behind Penny and walked in front of her, cutting off her escape. "Penny, where have you been? It's been weeks!"

Penny gave her a strange look. "There seems to be a… misunderstanding."

"What?" Penny continued to walk down the staircase until Rubby slid down to the bottom next to her. "Penny, is everything okay?" The ginger continued to walk forward without reaction until Ruby grabbed her by the arm. "Penny, please stop!" Being forcibly pulled to a stop, Penny finally turned and looked Ruby in the eye. The reaper continued, "Look, I don't know what's wrong, but you _have _to listen to me! Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they were up to something big, something bad! I need you to tell me what happened to you that night! Please… as a friend?"

Penny seemed to pause a bit at the word _friend_. She sighed, then looked to her sides, as if looking for someone. She leaned in close to Ruby's ear and whispered, "It isn't safe to talk here." She continued to glance around, only adding to Ruby's confusion, as they began to walk away.

* * *

Weiss strode through the lobby of the CCT lobby confidently as if she owned the place. She walked straight past the central terminal and daintily stepped into the elevator. The doors automatically closed after her, and a recorded female voice was heard above her.

"_Hello. Welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?"_

"I'd like to go to the communications room, please."

"_Absolutely. Could you please place your Scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?" _The heiress took out her Scroll and did as instructed." _Perfect! Thank you, Miss Schnee."_

As the elevator rose, Weiss' pleasant experience shifted to serious as the doors swung open, displaying a large room full of terminals with a central desk in front of her, the emblems of the four Kingdoms above it. She walked forward to the desk, where a holographic, A.I. secretary waited.

"_Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center,"_ the A.I. said in the same voice from the elevator. "_How may I help you?"_

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas," Weiss requested.

"_Absolutely. If you could head over to Terminal 3, I'll patch you through."_

"Thank you!" Weiss said with a smile and a nod to the assistant before walking over to the computer terminal, passing a few other Beacon students either doing research of phoning home. Weiss sat at the monitor and watched as her company's snowflake emblem flickered across the screen and a human secretary, looking down at her paperwork, filled the screen in front of the logo.

"Thank you for calling the Atlas—" Her gaze came up, and she gave a start of recognition and a polite smile. "Oh! Mis Schnee! Good afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."

"No, thank you!" replied the heiress with conversational politeness. "I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list." She inserted her Scroll into the computer, and the receptionist looked as the items came into view on her end.

"I see," the woman said haltingly, unsure of what to do after seeing the list. "If you don't mind… what may I ask is this for?"

"School project," Weiss said, putting as much charm as she could into the sentence. She had grown up in a house where learning how to charm adults could be very profitable, and it was a skill that she had honed over the years.

The secretary still seemed skeptical. "Um, there are some sensitive documents on this list, ma'am."

"Well then, I'll be sure to treat them with care," Weiss said with a reassuring smile.

"Right… very well." There were a few beeps as the woman began the transfer. "The data is being transferred to your Scroll now."

"Wonderful!" Weiss said. With polite dismissiveness, she replied, "That will be all then."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?" the woman asked again.

The brief flicker of a frown was concealed before it could be recognized as Weiss replied, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Well, then… Have a nice day!" the secretary said, before the screen went completely dark, with Weiss' face falling as she reflected that the last time she had had to put on this act had been in Atlas. With her father. The frown remained this time, now that it was safe, as the heiress stared at her reflection in the blank monitor.

* * *

Penny looked around nervously from the mouth of an alleyway to make sure that no one was around to watch them, before Ruby's reassuring hand closed on her shoulder. The ginger turned to see Ruby giving her a friendly grin, which she returned with a cautious smile. They began to walk down the street and Penny explained what had happened to her after the incident at the docks.

"I wish I could help you, Ruby, but I don't know anything about those men."

"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby's face was full of questions as they looked at each other. "We were all together, and then you just disappeared! Were you kidnapped?"

"Oh, no!" Penny said quickly, "nothing like that!"

"Then where _did _you go?" Ruby asked, a tad bit frustrated with Penny's obscurity.

"I've never been to another Kingdom before," the ginger said. "My father asked me not to venture out too far, but…" She paused. "You have to understand, my father loves me _very _much; he just worries a lot."

Ruby grinned. "Believe me, I know the feeling." Penny returned the smile. "But why not let us know you were okay?"

"I…" Penny seemed to be choosing her words, "was asked not to talk to you. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Anybody, really."

"Was your dad that upset?"

"No, it wasn't my father…"

Up ahead, a megaphone announcement in a city plaza cut off the rest of Penny's sentence. Ruby and she rounded the corner and watched from afar as a crowd gathered a large stage, where six Atlesian-Knight-130 Androids stood at attention. Behind each was a large, metal storage unit, like the students' lockers, and in the middle of the stage stood a holographic projection of General James Ironwood, who Ruby recognized as the headmaster of Atlas Academy.

Ironwood's image was saying, "_The AK-130 had been a standard security model of Remnant for several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't you agree?" _The androids gave a sharp bow as the audience began to applaud. "_But… the Kingdom of Atlas is a Kingdom of innovation, and 'fine'... well, that's just not good enough, is it? Presenting… the Atlesian Knight-200!" _The containers behind the AK-130s opened up to reveal six newer and sleeker white models standing behind the gray droids. The new white robots kicked over their predecessors as the people cheered, and Ironwood continued. "_Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly, a little less scary. These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone! Now, the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that will undoubtedly require… a human touch."_

"Ruby?" Penny asked nervously, seeing the reapers gaze drawn by the last line.

"_So, our Kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce… the Atlesian Paladin!"_

Ruby's gaze widened as Ironwood's projection shrank into nothing, and in its place stood a large, gleaming white mech that towered over the AK-200s. The machine's robotic arms were folded up into hands, but they clearly also had the ability to function as cannons, and a large array of other weapons and sensors dotted the Paladin. Ironwood's voice continued, "_Now, we couldn't have them here for you today, but these mechanized battle suits will be seen defending the borders of our Kingdom within the year!"_

"Woah," Ruby said in breathless awe.

"Ruby," Penny said with concern," maybe we should go somewhere else."

Penny's gaze was currently held by two human soldiers standing to the side of the stage who had just taken notice of her. They pointed at her and raised a hand to their headsets to call in backup. Penny took off in a sprint back the way they had came, shaking Ruby from her awed trance.

"Penny, wait!" she cried frantically. "Where are you going?" Noticing the soldiers beginning to give chase, she took off after Penny down an ally. Behind them, a man called, "Down here! She went this way!"

The girls dashed across a street with the soldiers in hot pursuit, though they were briefly halted as a car nearly ran one of them over. The soldier stopped in front of the car and braced his hands on the hood as it screeched to a honking stop in front of him, while his partner continued after Penny and Ruby.

Penny had a bit of a lead on Ruby, and the soldiers were closing fast. To put some distance between them, she sliced out with her scythe at a large wooden support leg holding a platform of crates. The crash behind them indicated the new obstacle in the soldiers' path as Ruby dashed forward with her Semblance and caught up to Penny, wrapping her arms around the other girl's waist.

"This way!" cried Ruby. However, as the reaper took off, she let out a strained groan at the unexpected weight of Penny. Why in the world did the girl weigh so much? The strain proved too much for her Semblance, and her Aura ave out from the intense strain, causing her to drop Penny on the sidewalk as she flew out into the street. She sat up, dazed, until a honking horn behind her signalled an approaching truck. The screech of brakes indicated that it wouldn't be able to stop in time, and even as Ruby turned, the vehicle barreled down on her. However, before Ruby could scream, she was shoved to the side, and as she looked back, Penny stood, arms outstretched, where she had lain a moment before.

Fully expecting Penny to be flattened, Ruby watched in open-mouthed shock as the ginger somehow seemed to catch the speeding vehicle with superhuman strength in her hands, her heels being driven back a bit as the engine crumpled like plastic in her hands. The truck crashed down, to the street, as onlookers and the driver looked on with disbelief.

"Penny?" Ruby murmured in a small, terrified voice from the sidewalk, eyes wide and questioning.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driver, and the old man behind the wheel slowly nodded his head. The driver safe, Penny's attention was drawn to the unwanted crowd she had begun to draw from her spectacle. She turned and pushed past Ruby as she ran down another alley, just as the soldiers behind them came upon the scene.

"Penny, come back!" Ruby shouted as she was jostled out of her dazed shock and took off after Penny again. Penny looked around, trying to find an escape route. "Um, uh…" Behind her, Ruby approached, causing her to turn.

"Penny, please! What is going on?! Why are you running? How did you _do _that?!"

"I-I can't" the ginger said nervously. "Everything's fine." She hiccuped like she had earlier at the CCT tower. "I-I don't want to talk about it." She hiccuped again.

"Penny, if you can just tell me what's wrong, I can help you!" Ruby pleaded.

"No, no, no! You wouldn't understand!" Penny said frantically as she shrank back and turned away.

"Let me _try._ You can trust me!"

Penny turned to her, conflicting emotions flashing across her face, finally settling on desperation. "You're my friend, right? You promise you're really my friend?"

"I promise," Ruby said, her voice softer and reassuring.

Penny, looked down at her hands, which had been curled to herself since the truck. She extended them towards Ruby. "Ruby…," she said softly, "I'm not a real girl."

Ruby looked down at the hands, and her expression shifted back into shock. There, on Penny's palms, several strips of gray metal could be seen, left bare due to synthetic skin being peeled back from the truck. The metal beneath glinted in the dusk sunlight, and Ruby stared in dumbstruck silence at her friend's palms as Penny regarded her sadly.

"Oh…"


	24. Painting the Town

**Chapter Four: Painting the Town...**

"Penny," Ruby stumbled over her words, "I-I don't understand."

Penny looked down at her hands. "Most girls are born, but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura." Her face fell, and she turned her head away. "I'm not real…" she said sadly.

She felt a hand close around her damaged ones, and she looked back with slight surprise as Ruby took her hands with a smile. "Of course you are," the redhead corrected. "You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"

"I don't… um…" Penny leaned in close, a bit apprehensive at Ruby's unexpected response. "You're taking this… _extraordinarily _well."

"You're not like those things we saw back there," Ruby said. She tapped her chest. "You've got a heart, and a soul; I can feel it."

Penny's face transformed from the confusion and shame that she had been wearing all afternoon to joyful happiness as she pulled Ruby into a tight hug. "Oh, oh Ruby!" Penny said as she shook her friend from side to side. "You're the best friend anyone could have."

Ruby's voice came muffled and strained from the strength of the android's hug as she groaned out, "I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower!"

Penny released Ruby from the tight embrace, her regular smile back on her face. "Oh, he's _very _sweet! My father's the one that built me! I'm sure you would love him!"

"Wow," the reaper giggled, "he built you all by himself?"

"Well, almost! He had some help from Mr. Ironwood," Penny said brightly.

"The General? Wait, is that why those soldiers were after you?"

"They like to protect me, too!" Penny affirmed.

Ruby scoffed, having seen the robotic girl's capabilities firsthand, "They don't think you can protect yourself?"

"They're not sure if I'm ready yet," Penny said, a bit of the unsurety creeping back into her voice. "One day, it will be my job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn. That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival. I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world, and test myself in the Tournament."

Ruby appeared confused by Penny's words. "Penny, what are you talking about? Save the world from _what? _We're in a time of peace!"

Penny seemed equally confused. "That's not what Mr. Ironwood said…"

"Check down here!" came a male voice from behind them. They both looked back. Apparently, the soldiers had finally begun to catch up with them.

"You have to hide!" Penny said as she grabbed the other girl by the shoulders and lifted her over her head with no problem.

Ruby kicked and protested as she was carried by superhuman strength to a nearby dumpster. "Penny, wait! What are you doing? You don't have to go with them! I can help you!" However, the android girl easily deposited the struggling Ruby in the metal container.

Penny lifted the lid and looked at her friend. "It's okay Ruby. They're not bad people; I just don't want _you _to get in trouble. Just promise me you won't tell anyone else my secret, okay?" She gave Ruby a serious stare, which the girl returned with a nod.

"I promise," Ruby swore.

With that, Penny looked away and walked back to the middle of the alley, and Ruby kept the lid barely cracked so that she could make sure her friend was alright. The soldiers came dashing down the alley. "There she is!" one of them said

"Sal-u-tations, officers!" Penny said in her usual, cheery voice.

"Why were you running?" the soldier asked. "And what happened to the other girl?"

"What girl? I've been by myself all day!" Penny hiccuped, but flashed a bright smile.

"You shouldn't cause such a scene," the man said.

"Are you okay?" the second soldier asked.

"Just a scratch," Penny replied, showing her slightly damaged hands.

The first soldier sighed. "Penny, your father isn't going to be happy about this."

"Please, just come with us."

Penny nodded. "Yes, sir!"

Ruby watched them go with a small frown, still a bit worried for Penny. However, a screeching sound and a scurrying by her feet quickly drew her attention, and with a startled cry, she fell back into the dumpster and kicked at the rat, the lid falling closed above her.

* * *

It had been a while since she had been on the shady side of Vale. Before Beacon, before Torchwick and the White Fang, when she had just been looking for someone. However, if anyone would have some information about criminal activity, it would be Junior.

Bumblebee ground to a stop as Yang parked the motorcycle and took off her helmet. She shook free her long, blond hair and motioned with a thumb to the club as she got off. "Come on, my friend's right in here!"

Neptune, who had been sitting behind her on the bike, wore a dazed, slightly scared expression from the wild ride across town, hair and goggles mussed from the wind. "Cool," he said dizzily as he shook his head. He fixed his hair and looked around the street, taking in the broken-down houses and the nightclub's flashing lights with slight apprehension. "And where exactly is… here?"

Inside the club, Junior was at his bar, fixing his cuffs. Around him, his men were unpacking a new purchase of beverages he had made, stocking up the bar and unloading boxes. Suddenly, from the main entrance, two more of his men ran in, hurriedly shutting the door behind them. "Hurry, close the door, she's coming!" one shouted, as another followed and they desperately tried to keep the doors closed.

Junior walked around the bar. "What are you two idiots doing?"

They began to explain, "Junior, she's coming!" but an explosion from behind that jarred the doors open sent them sprawling, and a familiar, yellow figure strode in through the smoke.

"Guess who's back!" Yang announced playfully with a closed-eyed smile. The smile abruptly disappeared as several weapons appeared in her face. The henchmen all remembered her from her last visit to the club, and they were still a bit sore, metaphorically speaking, from their lumps. The DJ, who remembered the specific beating she had given him, managed to shut off the music that was looping due to his shaking fingers, before he ducked under his table for safety.

From behind Yang's glaring form, Neptune poked his blue head out. "Yeah, so could you define 'friend' for me?"

"Stop, stop!" came a desperate voice. "Nobody. Shoot!" Junior waded his way through the crowd of men, trying to appear professional as he smoothed his tie. The last thing he wanted was another rampage through his business, especially after the costs of the last one. "Blondie, you're here! ...Why?"

"You still owe me a drink," Yang replied with a coy smile as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back through his men, heedless of the guns. Neptune watched her go, staring after her with a swooning face at her boldness.

"Whoa-ho-ho, what a woman," he murmured. However, as he turned, a set of twin girls to his side captured his attention, and he flashed a suave grin. "'Sup?"

Melanie and Miltia turned as one. "Ugh, whatever," they said together as they walked away from the amorous young Huntsman.

* * *

Meanwhile, in downtown Vale, not too far from Yang and Neptune's location, Blake gently traced the scratched claw marks on the wall of a warehouse that signalled a White Fang meeting place. She remembered the sign from when she was still a member, one they had used many times to arrange meetings in secret. She peeked around the corner and watched as two Faunus with horns were taken inside by a bearded guard. She turned to Sun, her suspicions confirmed.

"This is it."

"You sure?" he asked.

She gave him an impatient look and unfastened her bow before she began to walk to the entrance. "Y'know, I'm just gonna take your word for it," he said.

They walked into the building past the guard, who let them in, thinking they were potential members. They walked down a long hallway, walls lined with cases, as a man ahead of them motioned them to a side, saying, "New recruits, keep to the right!"

They each accepted a mask and began walk forward. "I don't get it," Sun said as he looked at the half-mask. "If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?"

"The masks are a symbol," Blake replied, memories of Adam springing unbidden to her mind. "Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters."

"Grimm masks. That's kind of dark."

She shuddered as she put on the mask. "So was they guy who started it."

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you," he muttered with a sigh as they walked into a large room filled with different Faunus, all similarly masked. Some were in civilian clothes, signifying that this was their first meeting, but they were far outnumbered by the amount of soldiers and guards clothed in the White Fang uniform. Blake and Sun looked around as the throng stopped, taking in the guards all around them. In front of the audience, a large man in a mask covering his entire face and tattooed arms walked onstage in front of the background, the White Fang emblem of a bloody wolf and claw marks.

"Thank you all for coming!" the White Fang lieutenant said in a slightly accented voice. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!"

The individual in question stepped forward, his smirk confident and his cane tapping along the stage as he stepped up. The new recruits, seeing that he was human, immediately began to boo.

"Thank you, thank you!" Roman said as he waved to the crowd. Behind the sheet, another human, a girl, walked out and stood slightly behind him, seemingly his guard. "Please, hold your applause," Roman said dryly as the booing continued.

"What's a human doing here?" someone shouted out. Blake looked to her right and identified the speaker, a Faunus girl with deer antlers protruding from her head.

Roman turned to address her. "I'm glad you asked, 'Deerie!'" he said, playing on her animal trait. Going back to the larger audience, he began, "Now, I'll be the first to admit. Humans… are the _worst." _He gave a small salute. "Case in point. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, _killed!"_

"So, is he going somewhere with this?" Sun muttered to Blake.

Roman continued. "But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I _all _have a common enemy: the ones in control; the people pulling the strings; the dirty, rotten humans that run our Kingdoms!" The crowds jeering suddenly ceased as some began to voice their assent. "Government, military, even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life!" The cheering suddenly increased. Sun and Blake glanced at each other as Torchwick went on, "And they're all _pests _that need to be dealt with. Fortunately," he thumbed toward himself, "I'm the best exterminator around." With a thought, he quickly added, "No offense to any rodents in the room."

Roman snapped his fingers, and the curtain bearing the White Fang emblem fell. Behind it stood a towering figure that Ruby would have recognized, had she been there: an Atlesian Paladin-290, its shoulder emblazoned with the White Fang logo. The crowd's cheering grew even louder.

"Woah, that's a big robot…" Sun squeaked out at the sight of the massive machine.

"How did he get that?" Blake wondered aloud.

Roman went on. "As some of you may have heard, this right here…" he tapped the leg of the mech, "...is Atlas' newest defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my 'employer', we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, 'hit the shelves'. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine... But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?"

He was met with applause that gave him his answer.

Blake turned to Sun. "We should get out of here."

However, the lieutenant from earlier called out, "Will all recruits, please come forward!" and the crowd began to surge, pushing them along with it as it cut off their escape.

* * *

Junior slammed his glass down on the bar with a frustrated grunt. Blondie's sudden appearance had necessitated a strong drink. "I don't know!" he said.

"How can you not know?" Yang demanded, equally frustrated. Torchwick had been here the first night she was, she knew that for sure. Although she hadn't recognized him at the time, she realized who he was after the fact, seeing his mug shot with Ruby, so she knew that he had interacted with Junior before.

"I haven't talked to him!" Junior protested. "I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here." He leaned forward boldly and pointed at her. "He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever. Came. Back."

"So where did they go?" Neptune asked as he sidled up next to Yang.

Junior looked at him for a moment. "What kind of a stupid question is that? They never came back!" He turned back to Yang. "Who is this guy?"

"Don't worry about him," she answered as she pushed Neptune away, "worry about me if I don't get what I want!"

"I already told you everything! Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them." He turned to his men. "_Which is something I can relate to!"_

"Come on Neptune," Yang said, turning away from the bar.

He walked up after her, hands in his pockets. "We get everything we need?"

"Well, we got everything we _can. _Hopefully, the rest of the team is having better luck."

* * *

Blake and Sun were indeed having better luck as they were still being pushed forward by the new recruits. "What are we going to do?" Sun whispered frantically to her.

"I'm thinking."

Sun looked to the stage. Roman was smoking his cigar and appeared to be laughing, with the girl who had joined him earlier by his side while they leaned on the Paladin. Suddenly, Roman looked right at him, his eyes narrowing and the laugh fading from his lips.

"He sees us!" Sun said. Roman frowned and leaned forward as Sun tried a casual wave with a smile. Blake looked to the right and noticed a junction box on the wall. "He can't see in the dark."

With that, she whipped out her weapon and fired a shot at the box, taking out the lights amid worried screams from the recruits.

"Don't let them get away!" came Roman's voice from the darkness.

"Sun, the window!"

"Stop 'em!"

The two teens crashed through a window above, Roman's cry fading behind them, until there came the sound of machinery powering up from inside the warehouse and the Atlesian Paladin crashed through the wall in pursuit, Roman at the controls as he pursued the two Faunus spies. The chase was on.

The two scaled up the side of a building and began to jump from rooftop to rooftop, with Roman following behind them easily at street level.

"So you wouldn't happen to have… oh, I don't know, some form of _backup?!"_ Sun cried between leaps.

"On it!" replied Blake as she grabbed her Scroll.

* * *

At the CCT tower, Weiss stepped out of the elevator when her Scroll started beeping. She put it to her ear.

"Everyone!" came Blake. "If you can hear me, we need back–"

"_HEEEELP!" _Sun's frantic cry cut her off.

Weiss rolled her eyes, despite the smile on her face, as she ran out of the building, beginning to track Blake's position from her Scroll to catch her in the middle of the chase.

Ruby, in a different part of town, finally emerged from the dumpster after containing the rat as the moon began to rise in the sky and stared at her own Scroll.

"_Big robot, and it's big! Really big!" _Sun shouted.

"Oh, I am not missing this!" Ruby said with a grin as she too began to run towards the battle.

Yang and Neptune listened in to the call on her bike. "That Torchwick guy is in it!" Sun shouted. "But not like, it didn't eat him; he's like, controlling it or something!"

"Where are you guys?" Yang demanded through her Scroll.

"_HURRYYY!"_ The call came from the Scroll and from behind them as Yang and Neptune turned to see two figures being pursued by a robot down the street, before they disappeared around the bend as quickly as they'd arrived.

"I think that was them," Neptune suggested.

"Yeah, I got it," she replied, kicking Bumblebee into gear as she put away her Scroll and whipped around quickly to join the chase, Neptune hanging on for dear life on the back of the motorcycle.

Blake and Sun jumped off of the roofs the downtown area and fled to the highways, with Torchwick right on their tail. They jumped from car to car, Roman not bothering with the civilians and simply barrelling over the smaller vehicles. Roman growled inside the cockpit of the Paladin as his targets stayed ahead of him.

"We've gotta slow it down!" Yang yelled.

"Got it!" Neptune reached for his gun on his back, but Roman picked up the riding duo on his sensors and plowed through traffic, tossing up a storm of cars at them.

"Hold on!" Yang cried as she skillfully maneuvered through flying cars, sliding along the ground and weaving from side to side as horns honked, metal crunched, and Neptune hung on for all he was worth.

Once they were back upright, Neptune fired his weapon, goggles on his eyes to help with the wind. Several streaks of blue electricity struck the Paladin from behind, drawing an annoyed grimace from the criminal within.

Neptune activated the weapon's second form as he jumped off the back of the motorcycle to the mech. The gun in his hands sprouted a long handle, transforming into an energy staff, before the glowing end split into the three forked spikes of a trident, which he stabbed into the robot to hold on.

Sun and Blake looked back from a surviving truck's top. "Neptune, hang on!" Sun said, as his friend cried out and was jostled from side to side by the robot. Sun concentrated, clapped his hands together, and activated his Semblance. A golden glow outlined him for a moment, and then left him in the form of a light copy of himself, a physical clone. A second light clone appeared, and the two shimmering forms rushed forward, slamming into the robot and disappearing in a golden flash as they impacted. Sun retrieved his gun chucks and leaped forward to assist Neptune. However, Torchwick shook the Paladin violently and launched Neptune free, sending him smacking into Sun midair as they both tumbled out of the battle.

Blake watched helplessly as the two fell off of the highway, but a welcoming voice sounded over her Scroll with some good news. "_Blake, I'm in position!" _came Weiss's voice. Ahead of the chaotic chase, the heiress, having cut ahead on the Paladin's route, let herself fall down from a taller section of highway, rapier at the ready as cars whizzed by, fleeing from Roman's charge of carnage. Weiss spun and planted the tip of Myrtenaster in the ground, covering it in a thick layer of slippery ice, so that as soon as Roman's Paladin came into contact, he was thrown off-balance, and the machine tumbled over the side of the highway to the ground below, where Ruby was waiting.

The rest of the team nimbly landed beside their leader, and Roman grinned as he faced down the girls that had caused him so much trouble. The Paladin lumbered forward towards the girls, ready to attack.

"Freezer Burn!" Ruby cried as she and Blake flipped backwards to the clear, while Weiss repeated her tactic of covering the ground with ice and Yang launched herself into the air. The blonde came down with a crushing blow that sent the ice up in a cloud of mist, into which Team RWBY disappeared.

Roman's sensors began to beep, confused by the sudden cloud, as he growled in annoyance, gazing around at shapes darting in the fog and searching for a glimpse of his foes.

He saw a sudden blur and fired in that direction, causing an explosion that launched Yang and Blake back. However, Ruby emerged from behind the blast with a cry, propelled forward by her scythe as she struck violently against the mech's hull. The air rang with the sound of metal on metal, and Ruby dropped back and expelled the bullet. "Checkmate!" she called, once again flipping clear.

Weiss and Blake materialized from the icy smoke, slicing and slashing at the robot's feet as it backed away. Weiss leaped up with a glyph and thrust her rapier right into one of the laser sensors, using another glyph to spirit herself back. One of the large feet rose above Blake to crush her, but Weiss pulled her back with another glyph before it came down where the Faunus had been standing. Roman fired some of his missiles, but, with the aid of a few more glyphs, the checkered duo backflipped nimbly away, dodging the explosions where they hit.

Weiss jumped high, exposing herself for a second too long. In that moment, Roman fired off a double energy burst at her. She blocked with Myrtenaster, but the force sent her flying out of control backwards. In a last effort to help, she cast a glyph from the rapier that landed beneath Blake before she hit the ground hard.

Blake stood as the glyph morphed beneath her to resemble a ticking clock, a yellow energy enveloping her. The Faunus absorbed the clockwork glyph, the time-dilating effect taking hold as Roman fired off another missile barrage. Blake sliced with Gambol Shroud at superhuman speed, so fast that when she came to rest, there was a moment of pause before the ring of explosives burst around her.

Ruby dashed forward now, shouting, "Ladybug!" She fired a shot that propelled her towards Roman, hooking Crescent Rose between the mech's legs to swing herself upward, where she landed behind the robot. She ran towards the suit from behind, Blake came from the front, and together, they alternated slashes at the giant metal legs. Roman turned to fire a shot at Ruby, but both girls jumped high. He looked and watched with anger as they came down towards him with a two-person, slicing combo that completely removed the left arm of the mech from it's robot body.

With Roman distracted, Yang charged in, jumping up to the suit's back. Roman's mech stumbled as she began to batter it with Ember Celica, a shotgun blast accompanying each blow. Roman was shaken within the cockpit and angrily thrust the entire machine backwards, sending it, and Yang, through several of the highway's concrete support columns. Before she could fall to the ground, the robot turned, its cannon arm reforming into a fist, and punched her in midair, sending her through another column before she fell to the ground, slow to get up.

"Yang!" Blake cried in concern.

Ruby assuaged her fears. "Don't worry. With each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back! That's what makes her special!"

Roman watched with a grin as Yang staggered slowly to her feet, throwing the battle suit's remaining arm forward to finish off the dazed blonde. However, one of Yang's hands snapped up to catch the mechanical limb before it could strike her, stopping it in place. Her hair glowed, and when she looked up with murderous intent, her irises sparkling red, Roman winced in surprised alarm. With a cry, Yang unleashed the energy she had gathered and punched the robot arm back, completely shattering it, leaving Roman trapped inside an armless suit.

However, Roman wasn't giving up, as he kicked the boxer away. Yang flew past Blake as Ruby called out, "Bumblebee!" Blake threw out Gambol Shroud's pistol and pulled the ribbon taught as Yang took hold, gaining momentum as she was swung in a circle. She flew towards the Paladin, but the machine stepped back as she flew past, dodging her attack.

Weiss regained her senses and ran to Ruby's side as the leader cried, "We have to slow it down!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" the heiress replied.

Ruby grinned. "Ice Flower!"

Weiss summoned up an ice glyph, and Ruby set up her scythe to shoot through the twirling energy. As Ruby began to fire, the shots that went through the glyph hit Roman's Paladin and exploded into ice, freezing the joints up to make movement impossible and turning the outer hull brittle. So brittle that, on Yang's next go around, when she punched the mech, it was sent spinning away from her and shattered completely into pieces, with Roman rolling out of the wreckage and coming to a standing position. He looked down at his white coat in disdain as he brushed himself off. "_Just _got this thing cleaned…" he complained to himself.

However, upon meeting Yang's fiery gaze, all concerns about his clothing disappeared. Yang fired her gauntlets in a flaming burst of energy that closed in on Roman, the criminal recoiling from the blow instinctively with no time to dodge.

Before the shot could connect, a new figure leaped in front of Roman from above with an unfolded parasol stretched out in front of her. The shot exploded against the surface of the pink umbrella, but the material making up the parasol absorbed the blow and blocked Roman from the damage.

The umbrella lowered to reveal the same short girl that had been acting as Roman's guard in the White Fang warehouse. The girl's hair, which was blown back from the explosion, was divided in color, with one half being brown and the other a light pink. White streaks were seen amidst the pink half, and the hair came down to her shoulder blades as she straightened and held the parasol over her shoulder. Around her neck was an assortment of different beaded necklaces, and she wore a mercenary's clothes: a white coat with pink inner lining matching her hair, a plain black undershirt, brown cargo pants held up by a simple leather belt, and black gloves where the coat's sleeves ended. Her footwear was a pair of white and black high heels, worn up her calves.

However, the most disconcerting thing about this new arrival was her face. Her eyes were two different colors, matching her hair with one brown iris and one pink iris, and her mouth never shifted from a slight smirk as she eyed Team RWBY. Roman smiled at her sudden and timely save, and looked over her head to address his rivals.

"Ladies!" he said politely. "Ice Queen!" he added.

"Hey!" the heiress complained.

"Always a pleasure." Addressing his savior, he simply instructed, "Neo, if you would."

The girl named Neo, still smiling silently, took a theatrical bow to the girls with her weapon still opened over her shoulder. Yang cocked her gauntlets and rushed forward with an angry yell, striking out at the new enemy. Neo simply raised her open parasol to Yang's fist, and as the blonde connected, Neo and Roman seemed to shatter: an illusion, likely from the girl's Semblance, that cracked like glass and fell in shards to the pavement.

Yang, still angry, looked left and right for Torchwick and Neo, but a few moments later, a Bullhead zoomed overhead, the open hatch displaying the two escaping criminals within. The rest of the team walked up to her as they all watched the airship make its escape.

"So I guess he got a new henchman…" Yang muttered, beginning to cool off a little.

"Yeah," Weiss agreed, "she really made our plans… _fall apart?" _Ruby gave a small chuckle at the joke, but Blake wordlessly walked away as Yang fixed Weiss with a disappointed stare.

"No. Just… no," the blonde stated matter-of-factly.

"What? But _you _do it!" the heiress protested.

"There's a time and a place for jokes."

"Was this not it?"

Yang smirked. "No, it just wasn't a very good one."

Weiss huffed as she began to walk after the departing boxer and Faunus. "Well at least I'm trying!"

"Wait," Ruby said, a thought occurring to her. "Where are Sun and Neptune?"

* * *

"They're probably fine, right?" Neptune said as the two friends sat at a ramen kiosk they had found not long after falling off the highway. Their weapons were propped off to the side, and each was enjoying a bowl of noodles.

"Probably," Sun said into his bowl.


	25. Extracurricular

**Chapter Five: Extracurricular**

Pyrrha attached her armor, strap by strap, to her legs. JNPR and RWBY were in the middle of Glynda's sparring class, and as a challenge to herself, she had challenged the entirety of Team CRDL to a four-on-one sparring match. She finished adjusting the plating on her legs, then began the long walk down the hallway to the classroom arena, seizing Miló and Akoúo̱ from her back with her Semblance. These boys had gone after Jaune early in the year, and although Jaune had handled the problem, she had not forgotten… or forgiven. She walked out into the arena where the boys awaited—Cardin, Sky, Dove, and Russel leering at her overconfidently—and with a ding, the match began.

The boys came at her in a clash of metal, which she easily deflected. She sliced at Cardin high and low, throwing him off balance, then came at him from above. He dodged backwards as her spear hit the ground. Staying down, she launched the spear at Dove, then swiped low at his legs, sending him onto his back. She came up towards Sky, trading blows with his long battle axe and blocking him with Akoúo̱ before she thrust Miló forward and threw Sky back. Cardin watched as his gray friend was launched backwards, and as the leader turned, Pyrrha was upon him again, striking him in the midsection. He replied with a jab to her shield with his mace, then brought the weapon bearing down onto her, the Dust crystal in the head launching off a wave of fire.

Pyrrha quickly rolled out of the way, leaving the fire behind her harmlessly, as she blocked another strike from Cardin's heavy weapon. The impact made her slide backward a few meters, where she jumped over the weapon of Sky, who had recovered, as he sliced at her feet. In midair, she twisted and saw Cardin swinging at her again. She allowed the heavy mace to hit her shield towards the ground, using the momentum to roll on the floor and twist her body with a leg under Sky, knocking him over again. She came back standing behind Cardin and charged forward, vaulting the boy's shoulder as he turned. Before he could attack again as he flipped back around, she threw her shield at him, the hard metal bouncing off his face and sending him sprawling away. She ducked as the shield came back, and it soared over her head to hit Sky in a similar manner off of the rebound from Cardin. The boy fell to the floor a third time, and this time, Pyrrha removed him from the fight, coming down hard on his back from a flip above as she snatched Akoúo̱ out of the air.

With three opponents remaining, Pyrrha stared down Dove, Russel, and Cardin as they glared at her. Russel and Dove rushed forward, and she went in to meet them, catching Russel off guard with her speed as she thrust her shield into his stomach and batted him momentarily away. Dove came in with his sword, trading blows with her until she blocked and left him open. A well-placed kick, and Dove was similarly pushed back, although he managed to flip with the kick and come down on his feet as Cardin rushed back in. He leaped in and pounded the mace down, Pyrrha once again avoided the smashing strike. She flipped back and transformed the javelin into its rifle form, taking refuge behind her shield as she fired at Cardin. However, Russel had regained his senses and jumped in, catching the Dust rounds on his own Dust daggers as he and Dove ran forward in a vicious double-teamed attack. Russel rolled in the air as his feet flew forward into her shield, knocking Pyrrha off-balance. They followed the kick with a devastating combination of attacks and slashes to the sword and the shield, and as Pyrrha dropped to a knee, it seemed for a moment that the boys had the advantage. However, she slid beneath Russel and Dove and let their momentum carry them past her, as Cardin once again tried to surprise her with the mace.

Pyrrha ducked underneath his swing and rolled past him, firing once again with her rifle. Cardin managed to catch the blasts on the mace, surprisingly versatile with the cumbersome weapon, as he came at her again. She met with a knee to the face that made him stumble, and when he went high, she ducked under with a kick. Pushed back, he engaged her in a standoff, both blocking and attacking in quick succession, before a stray blow from Pyrrha's spear caught him across the back. He tried to recover, but, off-balance as he was, he was struck more than he blocked and was inevitably driven back as Russel rushed forward to take his place.

The daggers in the green-haired boy's hands never even touched Pyrrha as she spun away, spear resting behind her head. In desperation, Russel threw one at her, but she ducked and threw Akoúo̱, causing the shield to bounce up into the air off of him, then making a sweeping arc with the spear that knocked him to the floor and out of the fight. She used the rifle barrel at the back of the weapon to fire the point at Dove, who blocked the attack. However, even as she blocked the shots from his weapon, she closed in and went high and low. Dove jumped over the slash at his legs and flipped backwards by Cardin.

Cardin, the tactical genius that he was, drew back the mace for a swing and inadvertently hit Dove, leaving himself as Pyrrha's final opponent. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed a bit as Cardin charged her. Here it was, the moment where she was able to pay Cardin back for his treatment of Jaune, and she certainly wouldn't squander it.

She vaulted over his fire blast on the ground and then charged him, coming at him from all sides as she sliced and stabbed. Eventually, she launched him into the air, where she hit him a few more times. The strikes sent him hurtling away from her, and she pushed off of her shield to propel herself after him. She came at him and got her spear around his throat from behind, using both arms to bring them spinning back to earth. Cardin yelled as they fell, and she released her hold as he smacked, head first, into the ground. As the coup de grâce, she kicked him back up into the air in a back flip that sent him spinning through the sky, where he landed across the arena on his stomach. Pyrrha called Akoúo̱ back to her with her Semblance and resumed her fighting stance, wary of Cardin returning to his feet.

That, however, wouldn't be a danger. The lights rose as Cardin clung painfully to his ribs and Glynda stepped forward.

"And that's the match," the blond teacher said.

Cardin groaned, "Lucky shot," before he collapsed.

"Well done, Miss Nikos," Glynda continued. "You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament.

"Thank you, professor," Pyrrha replied politely with a smile.

Glynda turned her attention to the rest of the class. "Alright," she said as she activated her Scroll, "now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" Glynda scanned the sea of students. "Ms. Belladonna?" Blake, who had been reading, slammed her book shut and looked at Glynda apprehensively. There were dark circles under the Faunus girl's eyes. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you—"

"I'll do it."

Glynda found the boy who had spoken up, one of the exchange students. "Mercury, is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent."

"Actually, I wanna fight… _her."_ Mercury pointed down at Pyrrha.

"Me?" she asked in confusion.

Glynda sternly eyed Mercury. "I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match. I recommend you choose another partner."

"No, it's fine!" Pyrrha said with a smile up at Mercury. "I'd be happy to oblige."

Mercury strode down to the arena, seemingly without a weapon, but Pyrrha knew better. All visiting students had had to disclose their weapon for the Tournament, and it was common knowledge that Mercury was one of the few whose weapon was always on him. Mercury sported a pair of shotgun boots on his feet, similar to Yang's Ember Celica, and he usually used his legs as his melee weapon. The two fighters sized each other up. Glynda signalled the beginning of the match, and Mercury rushed forward.

The silver boy led off with a kick that was easily blocked by Akoúo̱, while Pyrrha swept his other leg out from under him with the spear. He fell down but rolled with the motion, coming to a flipping stop several meters back as he sized her up. Pyrrha rushed forward to attack, but Mercury put her back on the defensive with a barrage of kicks to her shield and the javelin.

Pyrrha aimed with Miló at his leg, giving her the space she needed to ram him with her shield and put a halt to his attack. He slid across the floor in a standing position as he once again looked her over. Impressed with the attack, he nodded slightly with a "Hm."

"Hey, your friend's doing pretty good!" Ruby said to Mercury's partner, Emerald, who smiled in return. She turned back to the fight, not seeing the green-haired girl roll her eyes.

Mercury twisted into the air and force Pyrrha back with a kick to the shield. He landed low and threw out a leg, but the other lifted her foot to avoid the sweep as she stepped back. He stood once more for a flying kick, but she blocked again. She rolled out of the way as he kicked again, landing in a crouch behind Akoúo̱ as she flipped Miló in her hands, holding it in backwards by the handle. The silver boy charged and jumped up, a quick series of kicks landing on the shield again.

Pyrrha moved the shield to attack, but was once again forced back into defense as Mercury aimed for Akoúo̱. He switched suddenly, kicking her spear arm, then spun back to the shield. Pyrrha tried to flip her spear in her hand, but Mercury switched yet again, going high for her head. Forced to block with her right arm, she missed Miló until he once again retreated. She seized her javelin, and the two took a pause to see how the fight had affected the other. They came at each other again, Mercury deflecting the spear with his boot before turning to her shield. She swung the spear up again to graze his boot, but he managed to kick it with enough force to make her lose her grip.

The metal tip of the spear sank into the floor, leaving Pyrrha with just her shield as Mercury smirked. He spun and aimed a kick towards her now-open face, but Pyrrha lifted her hand in front of her and just barely used her Semblance to send Mercury's attack away. His target missed, the boy spun and came down on a knee, off-balance. As he took in this new information, a contemplative look crossed his face, and he gave a thoughtful, "Hmm."

Footsteps behind him alerted Mercury that he'd have little time to process his newfound revelation. Pyrrha had regained her spear and dashed forward, leading with her shield. Mercury jumped and placed both feet against the shield, firing a round to propel himself backwards, where he landed in a standing position across the arena floor. Pyrrha charged after him, weapons at the ready, when he turned to Glynda and simply said, "I forfeit."

Pyrrha gasped in surprise, stumbling a bit as she regained her balance. She ran past Mercury and skidded to a stop. Turning to her metallic foe, she incredulously asked him, "You… don't even want to try?"

"What's the point?" he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "You're a world-renowned fighter. We're obviously leagues apart."

"In that case… Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match… again." Glynda's voice was a bit agitated. "Next time, you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent."

"I'll be sure to do that." Mercury grinned smugly. Pyrrha looked at him with a slightly disappointed expression, hand on her hip in annoyance.

The alarm to signal the end of classes sounded, jostling a napping Blake back to consciousness. "That is all for today," Glynda said as the students prepared to depart. "And remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses."

The throng moved to leave the room, Mercury hooking back up with Emerald as they left. He smirked at her. "Learning is _so _much fun!" he said darkly.

* * *

"Hey, Blake!" Blake turned and shut the book she had been reading in annoyance. Sun approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You uh, doing okay?" he asked with concern, taking in the dark circles underneath her eyes.

"_I'm fine," _she replied shortly.

Sun spoke again. "So I hear there's this dance going on this weekend. Ah, sounds pretty lame, but… you and me, I'm thinking, not _as _lame, huh?"

"What?"

"The dance! This weekend!" He gave her a hopeful smile. You wanna go, or what?"

"I don't have time for a _stupid _dance. I thought _you _of all people would get that."

Blake stormed away past the rest of Team RWBY, as Sun seemed to wilt from her answer. The girls looked at each other in concerned silence.

* * *

"You _what?"_ Blake said incredulously later that evening in the dorm room.

"We want you to go to the dance," Ruby repeated.

"That's ridiculous," Blake said with a scowl.

Yang looked at her pleadingly. "Blake, we're worried about you. This investigation is starting to mess with your head."

Weiss began to tick off her fingers. "You can't _sleep_, you _hardly _eat, and to be honest, your _grades _have been suffering."

"You think I care about _grades_?" the Faunus expressed with unusual emotion. "People's _lives _are at stake!" she said and gestured out the window.

Yang's hand came down on top of hers. "We know," she reassured their friend, "and we're still trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to."

"Thanks to you and Sun," Ruby piped up, "we know they're operating somewhere outside of southeast Vale."

"_And, _the Schnee company records singled out Vale as the primary target for Dust robberies over the last few months," the heiress said.

"Don't forget about their missing military tech, too," Yang pointed out.

"But there's still unanswered questions!" Blake protested.

"Blake," Ruby replied, "you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open!"

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for _one day_." Yang gazed at her with firmness.

"It will be fun!" Weiss said with a rare smile. "Yang and I will make sure of it."

"Yeah! We're planning the whole event!" Yang pumped a fist.

"Excuse me?" Blake asked indignantly.

"Team CFVY's away mission lasted longer than expected," Weiss explained.

"So Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off," Yang put in. "And now we can make sure you have the perfect night."

"And once it's all over, we'll return for our search, rested and ready," Weiss finished.

"So what do ya think?" the leader asked her.

Blake stood with a scowl. "I think this is a colossal waste of time." With that, she stalked to the door and opened it. "I'll be in the library." She walked away.

Yang sighed. "Great."

"She can't keep going on like this," Weiss said, half to herself. There was another knock at the door; thinking it was Blake, Weiss hopped up to open it. However, the sight that greeted her sent her a surprised step back and prompted Ruby and Yang to see who was there.

The sound of a guitar filled the room, along with Jaune's voice. "_Weiss_!" he sang, strumming the guitar. The heiress immediately slammed the door in his face.

"Oh come on! Open the door!" Jaune's voice dropped pitifully. "I promise not to sing."

Weiss sighed and opened the door, expecting to regret the decision. She groaned as Jaune sang out, "I _lied!" _with a strum of the guitar. "Weiss Schnee! Will you accompany me? To the dance… on…" He paused, seemingly searching for the date. "_Sunday!" _he finished with a grin.

"Are you done?" the heiress asked.

"...Yes?" Jaune said hopefully.

"No." She slammed the door on him again. Catching a stare from the sisters, she asked, "What?"

"And _that _is why they call you the Ice Queen," Yang said from her position leaning over from the bed. Ruby, similarly balanced, fell over.

"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name." Weiss crossed her arms and smiled. "Besides, I already have a date in mind."

Ruby frowned from the ground. "Date or no date, none of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go."

* * *

The clash of metal rang out from the rooftop as Jaune and Pyrrha practiced. The blond boy had improved with his swordsmanship over this past semester, and his strikes were more controlled and precise. He seemed to have the upper hand, but Pyrrha grinned as she spotted an opening. She went low and kicked out her foot, swiping his legs and landing him on his back.

She laughed as she extended a hand. "Well done! Your swordplay's improved immensely."

"I couldn't have done it without you," he returned with a smile as she hoisted him to his feet.

"So, are you ready to move on to Aura?"

Jaune's face fell a little. "I'm actually thinking maybe we just skip Aura for tonight? Might go on a jog or something."

She gave him a supportive smile. "Come _on,_ I know you get frustrated, but you must keep trying. I'm sure you'll discover your Semblance any day now."

"That's not it." He paused for a moment, debating what to say. "It's just… it's dumb."

"What is it?" At his lack of response, she walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "_Jaune, _you know you can tell me."

"It's… Weiss."

Pyrrha's smile twitched, her face falling slightly. "Oh. What about her?"

"I asked her to the dance, and she shot me down." The leader of JNPR chuckled in self-deprecation. "Big surprise, right?"

"Well, I believe the saying goes: There's… plenty of fish in the sea," she said with slight emphasis.

"That's easy for you to say," he replied. "You've probably got guys clamoring over each other just to ask you out."

"You'd be surprised," she said with a frown and a cheap chuckle.

"Oh _please_. If you don't get a date to the dance, I'll wear a dress. Heh," he chuckled dryly as he walked away. Pyrrha watched him go, her casual demeanor and helpful mask dropping to an upset frown.

* * *

"And finally, Pyrrha Nikos."

"Ah," Cinder said, "the invincible girl."

The trio sat in their boarding room together, Emerald reading out names from her Scroll of people of interest while Mercury did pushups. Cinder sat on one of the beds, casually sewing a black dress for the weekend as they discussed.

"She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible," Mercury said.

"Do tell," Cinder said with interest."

"Her Semblance is Polarity," Emerald began. "But you'd never know just by watching."

"After she made contact with my boots, she was able to move them around however she wanted," Mercury explained. "But she only made slight adjustments."

"Just enough to make it _look _like she's untouchable. She doesn't broadcast her power, so it puts her opponent at a disadvantage."

"Hmm," their mentor mused. "People assume that she's fated for victory, when she's really taking fate into her own hands. Interesting." She looked to Emerald. "Add her to the list."

"_You _should be able to take her on no problem," Mercury pointed out.

"It's not about overpowering the enemy," Cinder said with a dark smile. It disappeared into a firm scowl as she continued. "It's about taking away what power they have."

She sat back. "And we will, in time."

Mercury collapsed onto his back on the floor, hands behind his head. "I… hate… waiting."

"Don't worry, Mercury," Cinder reassured with a smile, staring at her needle. "We have a fun weekend ahead of us."


	26. Burning the Candle

**Chapter Six: Burning the Candle**

Ruby's head rested on the table, a forlorn, partially-bored expression written on her face. Suddenly, someone slammed their hands on the table, startling the red reaper. She jerked up to see a smiling Weiss standing over her.

"I need _you _to pick a tablecloth," she said. The heiress slid over two squares of fabric. Ruby looked at them, trying to find a difference, but they both looked white to her.

"Aren't they both the same?" she asked in confusion.

Weiss sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't even know why I asked!"

Ruby put her head back down, but she jumped up again as Yang dropped a massive speaker next to the table with a loud slam. Yang rubbed her hands together. "So," she asked her little sister, "have you picked out a dress yet?"

"What's the point?" Ruby mumbled. "Who cares about the dance if Blake isn't going?"

Yang gave her a confident smile. "Oh, don't worry: she's going." Her gaze travelled over to Weiss and turned to annoyance. "Weiss! I thought we agreed: No doilies!"

Weiss pointed a finger at her. "If _I _don't get doilies, _you _don't get fog machines!"

The doors opened from behind. "You're dance is gonna have fog machines?" came Neptune's voice as he and Sun walked in.

Weiss gave a nervous smile and stepped towards him. "We were thinking about it…"

Sun cut in, to Weiss' frustration. "You ladies all excited for dress-up?"

Ruby groaned. "Pfft… yeah, right!"

"Laugh all you want." Her sister grinned. "_I'll _be turning heads tomorrow night!"

"What are you two wearing?" Weiss asked the boys.

"Uhh… this?" Sun said, gesturing to his shirtless torso behind his white coat. Neptune stepped forward and placed a hand over Sun's face. "Ignore him, for he knows not what he says," the blue-haired boy said.

Sun pushed the hand away. "Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt-and-tie kind of place."

Yang gave a sarcastic look that said, '_No, really?' _"Yeah, we noticed," she said out loud.

Sun rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, which was out of character for him. "Soooo… what does Blake think of all this? She still being all, y'know… Blake-y?"

"Obviously," Weiss said with clear disapproval, arms crossed.

"I still can't think of a way to change her mind," Ruby said.

"Guys." They all looked at Yang, who tossed them a smile as she walked out. "Trust me; Blake _will _be at the dance tomorrow."

* * *

Blake was hunched over in a seat before a library terminal, eyes fluttering with fatigue as she tried to blearily focus on the information flashing across her screen. Suddenly, something caught her attention. At the right of the screen, a red dot of light had suddenly appeared. Blake found herself fixated by it, following it up and down until it fell on her hand and winked away. She looked around, searching for the laser's owner, but no one was around her. With an aggravated sigh, she turned back to her computer and began to type.

The dot appeared again on her hand, and she once again looked for someone with a pointer. The dot made little circles on her screen, hypnotising her with its motion, until she slammed her fists down in frustration. She stood up and turned, looking for a confrontation. The red dot was on the floor now, and she began to follow the rapidly moving light through shelves. The dot rounded a corner, and Blake blindly followed until she bumped into someone, startling her out of her intensive focus on the laser.

"He-llooo!" Yang said in a sing-song voice, grinning as she held the laser pointer and waved.

"What are you…?"

"We need to talk." Without waiting for a reply, Yang dragged the confused Faunus away, a slight cry of surprise escaping Blake's lips.

* * *

In the dormitory building, Ren gave a relaxed sigh as he came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. He walked towards his dorm room, but suddenly, Jaune appeared in front of him.

"We need to talk!" Jaune said. Quickly, he dragged the confused Ren away, a slight cry of surprise escaping Ren's lips as he dropped his shampoo bottle.

In the dorm, Jaune sat on his bed, looking down as he talked to Ren. "Ren… I'm just gonna say it. You are one of my best friends. These past few months, I feel like we've really bonded, even though you don't say much." He paused. "I mean, you're _really _quiet. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that much about you, personally, but darnit, I consider you to be the brother I never had!"

Ren sat beside Jaune on the bed, still wrapped in his towel and appearing a bit uncomfortable, but trying to remain supportive as he gave a slight smile. "And I, you," he replied with his typical short spokenness. He gave a furtive glance to his normal clothing, hanging by a hook to the closet door.

"Which is why I wanted to get your advice on… girls," the leader continued.

"Girls?" Ren asked. He began to reach for his outfit whenever Jaune looked away.

Jaune continued, heedless of Ren's efforts to reach his clothing. "I just… don't know… how to… girls. Um, I-I guess what I'm asking is… Well, how did you and Nora… y'know…"

This gave Ren even more pause, an awkward silence filling the air. "Uh, uh…," he stumbled over his words.

A nervous giggle explained his discomfort. He and Jaune both looked to the bed, where Nora, who had been in the room the entire time, had her headphones pulled down to the neck of her _Boop!_ t-shirt and said, "We're actually not '_together_-together…'"

"Nora, I said headphones on!" Jaune cried.

"Oop!" she said, hurriedly replacing them on her ears.

Ren gave his leader and friend a look. "Jaune, what is this all about?"

Jaune stared back at the floor, sighing before he said, "It's Weiss. I'm completely head-over-heels for her, and she won't even give me a chance. She's cold, but she's also incredible. She's smart, and graceful, and talented – I mean, have you heard her sing?" He sighed again. "I-I just wish she'd take me seriously, y'know? I wish I could tell her how I feel without messing it all up."

"Then do it."

"Uh, wha?" Jaune looked up at Pyrrha, who had appeared in the doorway. She walked in and addressed him directly.

"Tell her exactly what you said. No ridiculous schemes, no pick-up lines. Just… be honest."

"But what if I–" Jaune began.

"Jaune." she cut him off with a smile. "You can't get it wrong if it's the truth."

Jaune looked at her. A new wave of confidence manifested a smile on his face. "You're right." He stood from the bed. "Thanks, Pyrrha!" He walked out the room and looked back at the bed before leaving. "Good talk, Ren!"

The quieter boy smiled and waved to Jaune as he closed the door. As soon as the room clicked shut, Pyrrha's smile dropped, and she seemed defeated as she walked to her desk. Nora watched her, sighing slightly as she watched her depressed friend.

"Practice what you preach, Pyrrha," the orange-haired girl said quietly to herself.

* * *

"Yang, if you're going to tell me to stop, you may as well save your breath."

Blake was standing, cross-armed, in Professor Peach's classroom, Yang sitting cross-legged on the main desk. The professor had given Yang and Weiss free reign to the room's decorative supplies for the dance, so Yang had pulled Blake in to talk in private.

Yang regarded her cat-eared friend calmly. "I don't want you to stop; I want you to slow down."

Blake paced back and forth, her irritation building the longer she was away from her computer. "I don't have the luxury to slow down."

"It's not a luxury; it's a necessity," Yang corrected.

"The 'necessity' is stopping Torchwick."

"And we're going to . But first you have to sit down and listen to what I have to say." The brawler patted the desk, offering a seat to Blake. Blake hesitated for a moment, then slowly sat down.

"Fine."

Yang smiled, happy with her success thus far. She began to speak.

"Ruby and I grew up in Patch, an island off the coast of Vale. Our parents were Huntsmen. Our dad taught at Signal, and our mom took on missions around the Kingdom. Her name was Summer Rose, and she was like, Super-Mom. Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters." The cheer disappeared from Yang's voice as she continued. "And then… one day she left for a mission and never came back." Yang gazed at the wood, studying the scarred surface of the desk, and despite her annoyance, Blake looked briefly sorry for her friend.

"Ruby was really torn up, but… I think she was still to young to really get what was going on, y'know? And my dad just kind of… shut down. It wasn't long before I learned why. Summer wasn't the first love he lost; she was the second. The first… was my mom." Blake eyed Yang in surprise. She and Weiss hadn't known about this.

"He wouldn't tell me everything, but I learned that the two of them had been on a team together with Summer and Qrow, and that she'd left me with him right after I was born. No one had seen her since."

Blake asked a tentative question. "Why did she leave you?"

The brawler sighed. She turned to the chalkboard. "That question… Why?" Hopping off the desk, she picked up a piece of chalk and began to draw. "I didn't know the answer, but I was determined to find out. It was all I thought about. I would ask anyone I could about what they knew about her.

"Then, one day, I found something. What I thought was a clue that could lead me to answers, or maybe even my mother." Yang let her thoughts drift a bit, remembering how she had discovered the smashed glass frame and the photo inside, and the rash decision that had resulted. "I waited for Dad to leave the house, put Ruby in a wagon, and headed out. I must've walked for hours. I had cuts and bruises, I was totally exhausted, but I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. When we finally got there, I could barely stand, but I didn't care; I had made it." She remembered standing, tottering on her feet, in front of the abandoned wooden house. "Then I saw them. Those _burning _red eyes…

"There we were: a toddler sleeping in the back of a wagon and a stupid girl too exhausted to even cry for help. We might as well have been served on a silver platter." The Grimm had been ready to tear them apart. She sighed. "But, as luck would have it, our uncle showed up just in time." Qrow had materialized out of the forest and gone to work on the pack, protecting his nieces with his scythe, the emblem burned bright into her memory. She stepped back and finished drawing the sigil on the board, taking in its clockwork eye.

"My stubbornness should've gotten us killed that night." Yang let the statement hang in the air, waiting for a response.

"Yang… I'm sorry that happened to you, and I understand what you're trying to tell me, but this is different." Blake's voice was earnest and insistent as she continued, "I'm not a child, and this isn't just a search for answers! I can't just–"

Yang's fist clenched as she cut her off. "I _told _you, I'm not telling you to stop! I haven't. To this day, I still want to know what happened to my mother and why she left me," she said, remembering how she had searched for answers at Junior's club, "but I will never let that search _control _me. We're going to find the answers we're looking for Blake. But if we destroy ourselves in the process, what good are we?"

"You don't understand!" Blake cried in exasperation. "I'm the only one who can do this!"

"No, _you _don't understand!" Yang said sharply as she turned. Her irises burned red as she asked the Faunus girl, "If Roman Torchwick walked through that door, what would you do?"

"I'd fight him!" Blake said, standing.

"You'd _lose!" _Yang corrected, pushing Blake forcefully back onto the desk.

"I can stop him!" Blake replied, trying to do the same to Yang, but being as deprived and weak as she was, Yang didn't move an inch.

"You can't even stop me!" Yang pointed out, pushing Blake back onto the desk. Yang stormed forward, eyes blazing, and pulled Blake into an angry hug. Blake, surprised by the movement, was taken aback.

"I'm not asking you to stop," Yang repeated, eyes returning to their default lilac color. "Just please, get some rest." She looked Blake in the eye. "Not just for you, but for the people you care about."

She took a step back and walked past Blake, who looked after her in tired surprise. "And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance," the blonde tossed over her shoulder with a grin. She winked before walking out the door.

Blake gave a heavy sigh and quietly walked out the other door, Yang's sketch on the board a silent testament to their meeting.

* * *

Jaune confidently walked along the sidewalks of Beacon, searching for Weiss Schnee. In his hand, he held a single, white rose, which he intended to give to the heiress. he had been searching for Weiss for the past half hour, when her voice suddenly carried around the corner, prompting him to duck behind a column. He peered around it cautiously, and his smile fell as watched Weiss approach Neptune.

"Neptune!" she called out as she walked up to the blue-haired boy.

"Oh, hey! What's up?" replied the suave young Huntsman.

"I know this is a little unorthodox," the heiress began, "but… I wanted to ask you something." She sheepishly placed her arms behind her back. Would you… like to accompany me to the dance tomorrow?"

Without waiting to hear Neptune's reply, Jaune threw the rose to the ground and walked away, hating himself for taking Pyrrha's suggestion too late.

* * *

Yang was garbed in a stylish white dress and black heels at the podium allowing entrance to the dance the next day. The door swung open, and Yang let out an excited squeak at seeing who was there. "Ooohh, you look _beautiful!" _

Ruby groaned from within a tight red and black dress and belt, stumbling slightly

on her heels. "Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Yang laughed as Ruby wobbled forward to the podium.

Outside, Sun walked up to the dance hall in a black jacket and a white tie, struggling with the tie around his neck. The dress code may have forced him into dressing somewhat presentable, but he didn't have to like it. "Stupid… dumb… neck trap!" he muttered to himself.

"I knew you'd look better in a tie," came a soft, playful voice behind him.

He turned and paused in astonishment as he took in Blake. She had rested, ridding herself of the dark circles, and was sporting a dark purple dress with a blue bow. She strode forward with a smile and took him by the arm.

"So, does this mean we're going… _together?" _Sun asked.

"Technically," she replied with a smile, "but my first dance is spoken for."

* * *

The ballroom had been completely decked out with streamers and balloons. Students left and right were dancing together and enjoying themselves, cracking jokes and having fun as a last hurrah before their first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses the next morning. Blake took part in a three-person dance with Yang and Sun, spinning from Yang to Sun as he took over and Yang walked over to Ruby and Weiss at a nearby table. The other members of Team RWBY watched with relieved smiles as Blake laughed in her dance with Sun. She caught their glances and smiled.

"I told you she would come," Yang said with satisfaction.

"Mission accomplished," Weiss concurred.

Ruby looked amongst her teammates. "Soo… what do we do now?"

"Just have fun!" Yang told her sister as she walked back over to the podium for some late arrivals. Weiss walked in the other direction to put the finishing touches on a few of the table's floral arrangements.

"Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" Ruby called desperately after her sister. However, when Yang didn't reply, she shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Stupid lady stilts."

"Not enjoying yourself?" came an older, male voice from behind her. She turned as Ozpin walked up beside her and gave a sheepish laugh. "Oh, no, everything's fine. I'm just not much of a fancy pantsy… dancy girl."

"Well," the headmaster chuckled, "you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you may want to."

"Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately," Ruby said as she crossed her arms, slightly annoyed.

"If you think about it," the professor said as he stared thoughtfully out at the swaying and twirling figures on the dance floor, "fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle," the young leader muttered towards her painful footwear.

"It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget." Ozpin came close to a smile, one that Ruby reflected as they gazed at happy friends and students.

She turned as the sound of the door opening carried over the sound of the music. Yang looked up as two late arrivals strode into the ballroom. She gave them a friendly smile. "You guys are just in time!"

Clad in a tuxedo and dress respectively, Mercury and Emerald let the door close behind them as Mercury said, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."


	27. Dance Dance Infiltration

**Chapter Seven: Dance Dance Infiltration**

Students weren't the only ones enjoying themselves at the Beacon Ball. Professors Port and Oobleck were hanging out by one of the punch bowls, laughing over some story or tale. Ozpin watched in mild amusement as Ironwood coaxed a reluctant Glynda into joining him on the dance floor.

However, Ruby merely watched the crowd, sipping her drink by a second punch bowl, as Jaune sidled up next to her. "I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too."

"Yep."

Jaune extended his glass. "To the socially awkward." She giggled slightly as they clinked glasses.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss," Ruby said to him.

"Meh, it's fine," Jaune said, trying to be cool. "Neptune's pretty 'cool.' I get why she went with him."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"Well, come on, not many people can pull off _blue _hair." Jaune took a long drink of punch.

"No," Ruby said, "I mean, Weiss came to the dance alone."

Jaune choked on his drink, coughing as he wiped his mouth and asked her incredulously, "Uh, what?"

Ruby pointed to where Weiss was still desperately trying to coax some of the flower arrangements back to life, delicately lifting the drooping bulbs. "Yeah, she said that she had too much to focus on to worry about boys."

Jaune looked over to where Blake, Sun, and a tuxedo-clad Neptune socialized on the dance floor, Neptune making faces at the other two to prompt some spontaneous laughter. Jaune began to glower as he watched Neptune goof around after casually rejecting Weiss.

"Hold my punch," he told Ruby matter of factly, before stalking towards the blue-haired student. Ruby took the cup from him and watched him go, taking a sip from his cup in her hand. Jaune waded through the crowd, pushing some students to the side, before he stopped as a figure in a red dress crossed his vision. Pyrrha walked across the ballroom and up the stairs in a red dress that perfectly matched her hair, looking stunning. And alone.

In a change of heart, Jaune pursued the disappearing redhead up the stairs. He found her on a balcony overlooking the courtyard, staring out over the grounds in forlorn silence. "Hey Pyrrha," Jaune said from behind.

She turned to face him. "Hello, Jaune." She seemed very solemn, her face a frown.

"You okay?" Jaune asked in concern. "I haven't seen you tonight."

"Arrived late, I'm afraid," Pyrrha replied, turning back out over the balcony.

"Well, you look really nice," he said.

"Thank you," she replied shortly.

He looked at her. "Your, uh, date isn't going to beat me up for saying that, is he?"

"I think you're safe for tonight."

"So, where _is _the guy?" Jaune asked, rubbing his hands together.

"There is no guy," she replied as she turned to him. Her head dipped a bit.

"What?" He didn't believe it.

"Nobody asked me," she repeated, shaking her head.

"But that's… you're Pyrrha Nikos!" He pointed at her and stuttered, "H-how could nobody ask you?"

She turned back to the railing. "I've been _blessed_ with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm _constantly _surrounded by love and praise, but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place. Everyone _assumes_ I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form _any_ sort of meaningful relationship with people. That's what I like about _you_. When we met, you didn't even know my name. You treated me just like anyone else. And thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime." She regarded him with a slight smile. "I guess, you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with. Someone who just saw me for me."

Pyrrha looked at him for a second, then walked back in, leaving Jaune to stare after her disappearing form in shock. He couldn't believe how much of an idiot he'd been. How had he never seen it before? She was always right there in front of him, and she had wanted to be with him, and he, blinded by Weiss, had never seen it. Desperately, he called after her, "W-wait–" but sighed and broke off as Neptune sauntered out onto the balcony.

"Hey, uh… Jaune, right?"

The blond leader sighed. "Yeah."

"This party's pretty _lame, _huh?" Neptune scoffed. "I mean, ballroom dancing. Pfft."

"Yeah," Jaune growled, his voice going deeper as he grew angry at the other's nonchalance.

"Cute girls, though, huh?"

That was what set Jaune off. He had turned back to the balcony, but now he whirled on Neptune. "Is that _all _you think about?" he demanded.

Neptune seemed surprised. "Huh?"

"Do you even _care _about the girls you're hitting on?" Jaune asked angrily. "How they feel about _you?"_

"Woah!" Neptune said as he threw up his hands defensively. "Where's this coming from?"

"How could you just turn her down like that?" Jaune spread his own hands for emphasis.

"Wait, who?"

"_Weiss!"_

Neptune appeared nervous. "I, uh… it, uh, it just didn't work out, you know?"

"What?" Jaune replied in disbelief. "You think that you're too cool, too many other _options? _Weiss Schnee asked you to the dance! What in the world could _possibly _keep you from go–"

"I can't dance!"

The voice was so small and insignificant that, for a moment, Jaune wasn't sure that Neptune had actually said anything. The other boy looked down at the ground in shame. "Beg your pardon?" Jaune asked for clarification.

"I can't dance, man!" Neptune said in that same small voice.

"But… you're so _cool!"_ Jaune said, still a little disbelieving.

"Thank you." Neptune gave a small grin. "I try really, _really _hard."

Jaune stared at the other Huntsman. "You would rather break a girl's heart and go to a dance _alone_ than just admit to everyone that you can't move in rhythm to music?"

"That about sums it up, yeah."

Jaune turned back around, still a bit amazed. "Well, I certainly feel a lot better about myself."

"Please don't tell anybody." Neptune raised his hands pleadingly. "Look, if you want Weiss, she's all yours. I don't wanna get in your way."

Jaune turned back to him. Perhaps a few hours ago, he might have accepted the offer, but after his conversation with Pyrrha, his priorities had been reorganized. "Do you like her?" he asked as he leaned back onto the railing.

"Yeah." Neptune shrugged. "I mean, I don't know her too well yet, but she seems pretty cool."

Jaune recalled what Pyrrha had advised him earlier that day. "Then just go _talk _to her. No pickup lines, no suave moves. Just be yourself. I've heard that's the way to go," he said as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, but then–"

"Hey, you don't have to look cool _all the time._ In all honesty," Jaune smirked a bit, "if you could be a little _less _cool, I'd really appreciate it."

Neptune appeared contemplative. "Yeah, okay."

"Go talk to her," Jaune urged him. "I guarantee it'll make her night."

"Thanks. You're a really cool guy, Jaune."

"Alright, don't lie to my face." Jaune accepted Neptune's offered fist bump before the blue-haired boy walked back inside.

"Alright." Jaune sighed. "Only one thing left to do." He had a promise to keep.

* * *

Yang stood with Ruby leaning against the handrail of the second floor, looking over the dance floor with satisfied smiles. On one side, Blake and Sun were dancing together and Nora and Ren were arm in arm, waltzing. Ruby smiled a bit as she noticed her dear friend Penny dancing by herself under the protection of two Atlas guards.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, "and you did a great job planning it too!"

"Aw, thanks!" Ruby began to groan and squirm as Yang enveloped her in a

strong hug. "It wasn't all me though; Weiss did a lot too." Yang looked to the side and smirked as she watched Neptune walk up to a seated Weiss with a hand behind his neck as Weiss offered him a seat. She sighed. "Tomorrow, it's back to work."

"I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us," her sister replied. From below, the ballroom suddenly erupted in laughter as a familiar face strolled out onto the dance floor. Ruby and Yang did a double take. "Except for that."

Pyrrha turned as the laughter grew louder and louder around her. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. "_Jaune?"_

The blond leader had an apologetic smile on his face as he stepped forward. He was wearing a white dress and ribbon with his sneakers in place of his tux. "Eh, a promise is a promise," he said with a grin.

Pyrrha began to smile, then a few giggles escaped her lips, until she finally gave in and burst into laughter with the rest of the students. Wiping her eyes, Pyrrha gasped through her laughter, "Jaune… you didn't have to…"

"Hey," he playfully protested. "An Arc never goes back on his word." He put out a hand. "Now do you wanna stand there and laugh at me, or do you wanna _dance?"_

She smiled prettily and accepted the hand. "I would _love _to dance." He pulled her into his arms and swept her onto the dance floor, quick enough that she gave a surprised, "Oh!" and a giggle as Ren and Nora watched. Nora smiled widely as she watched the other half of their team. They couldn't miss out on this. The music began to swell up, and Nora cried excitedly, "Ren. This… is… _happening!"_

"Wait, what is happening?" the boy asked, confused. Before he could reply, Nora had pulled him out to join Jaune and Pyrrha, and Team JNPR engaged in a four person dance in the middle of the floor, drawing applause and cheers from everyone.

"I had no idea you were a dancer," Pyrrha said to her friend as he spun her around.

Jaune grinned. "Yeah, well, these things tend to happen when you grow up with seven sisters," he replied as he dipped her and spun her away again.

From the sidelines, Weiss and Neptune watched the party as they talked. "So," the heiress asked with a small smile, "what made you change your mind?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were embarrassed at first. What made you come talk to me?"

Neptune gestured to the dress-wearing Jaune. "You're looking at him." Weiss stared at Jaune and Pyrrha dancing as the boy continued, "You got some good friends looking out for you."

The entire party was hitting fever pitch, JNPR, Sun, Blake, Penny, and the other students dancing to their hearts' content. No one paid much attention to the spectating duo on the second floor as they carefully watched the students.

Mercury and Emerald counted the students with their eyes. "It appears all the dancers have partner," Emerald said.

"_How long do I have?" _Cinder replied over their earbud communication units.

"You should probably be home by midnight, to be safe," Mercury replied.

* * *

On a roof overlooking the academy grounds, Cinder held her fingers to her earpiece. "I'll keep my eye on the clock." She was dressed in the sleek black cat burglar suit she had been sewing for this weekend, a stealthy black top and pants, with black gloves and a matching mask to obscure her face. She quickly slid down the roof.

Back at the dance hall, Ruby, who had not been enjoying herself as much as her friends due to the obscenely painful heels, slowly backed out and made a stealthy escape from the party. She turned and took a deep breath of the cool, refreshing night air. However, a flicker of movement at the corner of her vision drew her attention. As she turned, a figure dashed across a roof across the courtyard, leaping over the side and disappearing from view. Whoever it was was probably up to no good. Ruby moved to pursue as quickly as she could with her heels.

At the CCT tower, Cinder slunk through the shadows, taking in the guard outside. She slipped around him and crept up behind him, taking him out with a blow to the back of the neck. She dragged his limp form into the bushes, then stealthily slipped inside.

Once inside, Cinder ceased with her secrecy. There were four guards in the main lobby, and she wouldn't be able to slip by all of them, so she would have to take them out.

Mistaking her for a student, one of the guards called out. "Excuse me, no one's allowed in this area." Cinder was unfazed continuing her mission. "Stop!" cried the guard.

Cinder dashed forward as the guard opened fire with his pistol, sending a few warning shots into the ground. She was heedless of them as she wrapped him in a grappling hold around his back. A second one rushed forward, but Cinder kicked him in the stomach and twisted the first guard's gun hand, firing a shot at the second that sent him sprawling. She twisted and threw the original guard painfully against the railing to the short stairway up to the elevator, leaving two guards left to confront her as they ran down the stairs.

Cinder brought out her weapons, a pair of twin swords, in a burst of fire, taking out the first guard before he could even confront her with his shock baton. She engaged the last man standing in a brief back-and-forth, before she thrust her swords forward and silenced him, leaving her as the only conscious person left in the lobby.

In the elevator, the last two guards in the building were talking as they went down to the ground floor. "Hey man, do you know the Wi-Fi password?"

"It's Beacon, but replace the '_E'_ with a 3 and add a pound symbol to the end."

The doors slid open, and both guards immediately placed a hand on their holsters when they noticed the other guards out cold on the floor and the lone, feminine figure that strode calmly into the elevator. The doors closed, and Cinder went to work.

* * *

Ruby cautiously approached the CCT tower, searching for any sign of the mysterious person she had seen on the roof. Suddenly, she noticed a prone body in the brush and gasped when she realized that it was an unconscious Atlesian guard. Quickly, she summoned her locker with her Scroll, calling it to her position and retrieving Crescent Rose.

* * *

The elevator doors slid open, and Cinder left the soldiers where they had fallen, logging into the CCT terminals with a password stolen from the unconscious men. "Oh, that's handy."

"_A party guest is leaving," _came Emerald's voice over her headset.

Cinder sighed. "Which one?"

At the party, Emerald looked over Mercury's shoulder. A tall, foreboding figure walked solemnly away from the ball. "Ironwood!"

Mercury said, "I guess the general's had enough fun for one night."

"_Should we intervene?"_

Cinder looked at the monitor before her. She had plugged in the virus to her console, and the coding on screen suddenly transformed into a black queen chess piece. The Black Queen Virus lit up on the other monitors before every screen winked off.

"No, we're done here." Cinder stood from the console and began to walk to the elevator. It dinged suddenly, and the doors opened to reveal a small girl in a red ball dress, brandishing a large sniper-scythe.

"Hello?" Ruby called as she walked into the room. She stumbled a little on her

painful heels. "Is anyone there? Hello?"

Cinder had ducked behind one of the desks at the ding, thinking it was Ironwood, but upon hearing the small voice, she smiled and rose from her hiding place, turning towards Ruby silently.

"Excuse me?" the reaper said. "You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that–"

Cinder grasped a case from her hip and summoned up several shards of glass hurtling towards Ruby. Ruby gasped in surprise as she barely blocked the attack and began to fire at the mystery woman, who easily blocked the shots with her hand. She twirled and summoned up her fiery swords again as Ruby fired her weapon and came slicing down to attack. Cinder leaped high to dodge and formed the swords into a bow, firing three arrows at the young Huntress. The arrows exploded upon contacting the floor, forcing Ruby to stumble back on her heels. Cinder grinned at the girl, but the elevator dinged open again over Ruby's shoulder. The young girl turned and saw Ironwood staring at the scene from the elevator. Preparing to go back at the intruder with the general's help, Ruby turned back, but Cinder had disappeared completely, vanishing as if she was never there.

* * *

Back at the dance hall, Cinder used the Dust infused into her outfit to transform the skintight suit into a long dress and threw her mask to the floor. Two guards quickly burst into the hallway after her, stepping over the mask, but as they pushed open the doors to the ballroom, they realized the futility of their search as they took in the sea of dancing students before them.

Emerald felt a tap on her shoulder as that smooth voice said, "Oh, may I cut in?"

"Of course," Emerald said, stepping aside to allow Cinder to begin dancing with Mercury.

"And how's _your _night been?" the silver-haired boy asked.

"Mm… a little more exciting than expected."

"Should we be worried?"

Cinder chuckled. "Hardly. They'll be scratching their heads long after we finished what we came here for."

"So then what now?"

"Enjoy the rest of the night." She grinned. "After all… it is a party."

The students danced in the hall; soldiers converged on the CCT tower, searching for any sign of the intruder; and Ironwood approached a seated Ruby in the communications center of the CCT tower, both of them missing the slight flicker of a queen piece across the screen of a console as the clock ominously chimed midnight into the early morning sky.


	28. Field Trip

**Chapter Eight: Field Trip**

"_They. Were. Here_."

Ozpin dropped his head into his hands in frustration as Ironwood continued to rant, bringing down a fist on the headmaster's desk in frustration. "Ozpin, they were _here!" _the general stormed on, voice rising in anger.

"We are very much aware of that!" Glynda retorted angrily. "Thank you, James!"

"Fantastic!" the general snapped sarcastically. "You're aware! Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's _right _in front of us?!"

Ironwood's question went unanswered as the door dinged.

"Come in," Ozpin called to the visitor.

The door slid open, and a flustered Ruby Rose walked into the room. "Sorry it took so long," she apologized. "Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here." She paused for a moment as she considered the implications of her sentence. "It wasn't me," she quickly followed up.

"Thank you for coming, Ruby," Ozpin said as she timidly walked up to the desk under the withering gaze of both Ironwood and Glynda. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," the redheaded leader replied. "I'd feel better if my bad-guy-catching record wasn't oh-for-three, heh."

The adults regarded her silently.

"Okay, so that's the tone we're going for, got it," she said nervously.

The general walked forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about," he commended her in a warm voice. "You recognized a threat, you took action, and you did the very best you could."

"Thank you, sir."

Ozpin drew her attention. "Now, the general here has already informed us of the events that… transpired last night, but now that you're rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add.

"Was anyone else with her?" Glynda asked, immediately taking the initiative. "Did she look familiar to you at all?"

Ruby considered her response before she replied. "I… I don't know. She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her Semblance, though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked."

Glynda thought about the response, musing aloud, "Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby."

"Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone," Ironwood pointed out.

"Wait," Ruby asked, "you think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"It's possible," Ozpin conceded, "but we still lack the required evidence to link the two together."

"Actually, I… I think I remember her saying something about a hideout, or something," Ruby said suddenly, "in the southeast. Just outside the Kingdom"  
The headmaster smirked almost imperceptibly. "Interesting."

"I thought you said the intruder never–"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby," Ozpin said, cutting Glynda off before she could complete the sentence. "Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You have a big day ahead of you."

"Any time," the teenage girl replied as she left the room.

"And Miss Rose," Ozpin called after her. "Please try and be… discreet about this matter."

"Yes sir," she replied dutifully, before leaving the office behind.

* * *

At the dorm room, Ruby opened the door in the hallway. Immediately, Weiss, Blake, and Yang zoomed into her face.

"What happened?" her sister demanded.

Ruby laughed nervously. They hadn't planned on revealing the information about Torchwick's operation in the southeast to the teachers just yet. "Uh… well, um…"

* * *

"Well there we have it," Ironwood said as he stared solemnly down at the courtyard far below them. "We send as many troops as we can to the southeast, find out exactly, what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way."

Behind him, Glynda gave a frustrated noise that was halfway between a growl and a groan. "Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado? You treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring d–!"

"_Glynda!" _Ozpin sharply reproached.

She turned to him sullenly. "Well, he does."

"She's right," Ozpin said as he swivelled in his chair to face his fellow teachers. "As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if it is truly part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic."

Ironwood's face was a mask of disbelief, and his voice slowly rose as he said, "I have served you faithfully for years… but if you mean that your plan is to really hold the defenses and wait–!"

"It is _not!" _Ozpin said sharply as he rose from his chair, a rare bit of emotion slipping through his usual calm. Lowering his voice and regaining his stoic tone, the headmaster continued, "You're a general, James, so tell me: when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"

* * *

"That was a risky move!" Weiss said, arms crossed.

"No," Blake objected, "I think you handled it well."

"I hope so," Ruby said, appreciating her sister's hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby," Yang reassured her, before she walked over to the desk. "Oh, I know what will cheer you up!" She picked up a cylinder.

"What's that?"

I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!"

"Ooooh! Something from home!" Ruby said excitedly, dashing over to Yang where she excitedly grabbed for the package. Yang gave it a shape, and out of the package fell a small, rolled up object. An object that hopped a few times, before unfurling to reveal a cute set of ears and a panting tongue as RWBY leaned in to take in the new arrival. The small corgi barked and gave a wag of his stubby tail as the girls all jumped up and shrieked, some in happiness, others in surprise.

"Zwei!" Ruby shouted excitedly, recognizing their pet dog as she scooped him up with a laugh and he began to lick her.

"He sent a _dog?" _Blake said in disbelief.

"In the _mail?!" _Weiss mirrored Blake's incredulous tone.

Ruby continued to squirm and giggle as Zwei licked at her face and Yang gave a small shrug. "Oh, he does stuff like this all the time."

"Your father or your dog?" asked Blake, who had scurried up to Ruby's bed to distance herself from the corgi.

Weiss leaned in, looking close at the panting animal. "Are you telling me that this mangy… drooling... _mutt…" _Zwei looked at her with his tongue sticking out, and Weiss was won over. Another thing she had never had growing up as the heiress was a pet. "Is going to wiv wif us foweva?" she finished, baby-talking. "Oh yes he _is, _yes he _is! _Oh, isn't he adorable!" she said as she continued to fawn over the small dog in Ruby's arms.

Blake still crouched defensively in the bunk. "Please keep it away from my belongings."

The intercom suddenly buzzed to life, and Glynda came on with the announcement, "_Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?"_

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for this week," Weiss pointed out. Ruby set the dog down, and he ran over to the foot of the Blake, barking up at the Faunus as she balanced away from him.

"Look, there's a letter!" Yang said, snatching a piece of paper from the cylinder. "'Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang.'" Zwei raced around to Yang's feet as she shook the package again, and this time, a pile of canned dog food that had somehow also fit into the package spilled out, burying the corgi.

"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asked.

As if in answer, a can opener tumbled out of the cylinder and thumped onto Zwei's head before tinkling onto the floor.

"Well, that settles it!" Yang said, ditching the package. "Come on, girls, Zwei will be here when we get back!" She walked to the door.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much we're going to be best friends I can't wait to see you I can't believe how cute you are!" Weiss said amongst the baby talk to their new pet as she walked out of the room.

Blake merely jumped from the bed to the desk and out the door, avoiding the corgi at any cost.

"Hmm," Ruby said as she looked at her panting dog. She had just gotten to see Zwei again, and she didn't want to leave him behind. He looked at her, panting, as she gasped at an idea.

* * *

"Quiet, quiet please!" Glynda said to the students as they filed into the auditorium. Ruby and her team put their packed things down by the rest of the student's luggage before they moved over to stand by their friends in Team JNPR. No one took notice of the slight shifting in Ruby's backpack. "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin," Glynda continued, before surrendering the mic to the headmaster as the students quieted.

"Today we stand together, united," the professor began, taking in each individual school. All of the first-year students, no matter if they were visiting or not, were being sent on their first official assignments today, and Ozpin wanted to give them a brief speech before they went on their way. "Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant.

"On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity.

"As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it." Around the theater, lists of assignments suddenly winked into existence.

"As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

The headmaster stepped down as the students began to mill about to different selection stations.

"This is perfect!" Ruby said to her team. "All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!"

"Yeah!" Yang agreed. "We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!" Yang said with a fist pump.

"Let's check 'search and destroy'," Weiss suggested.

The girls approached one of the mission selection stations.

"Here we go! Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!" Ruby said.

"Well, it's in the southeast," Blake said.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang agreed.

Ruby typed in their team's name, only to be greeted by a red popup reading "Mission Unavailable to First Year Students."

"Wonderful!" Weiss complained.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

Ruby, thinking of Zwei in her backpack, said, "We _mail _ourselves there!"

"Well, that's one option!" came a chuckling voice from behind the screen as Ozpin stepped around the wall displaying the list, a Scroll tablet in hand.

"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students. It seems that _particular_ region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you four will make your way there no matter which job you choose," he said, giving them a coy smile.

The rest of the team glared at Ruby as she rubbed her head with a nervous smile. "Whatever makes you say that?" the leader asked her teacher.

"I'm still curious how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester," the headmaster said with a slightly inquisitive grin. "I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club sometime ago."

"Um… well…"

Ozpin gave a shake of his head as the smile bloomed in full. "I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" he suggested.

Ozpin gave his tablet a few taps, and the screen suddenly displayed the team as viable for the mission.

"We won't let you down. Thank you, professor," Ruby said as she turned to him.

"Do not thank me for this," Ozpin corrected, his smile gone. "Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory." He walked away, and Team RWBY exchanged a glance amongst themselves before he ducked back towards them. "Good luck." With that, he left for good, leaving the four friends to contemplate his ominous words.

* * *

"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang said as the team walked down the courtyard walkway to the airships.

"But it's the truth," Blake admitted.

"It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it!" their leader reassured them.

A student bustled by, pointing to a recently landed airship and the team disembarking from it. "Hey, Team CFVY is back!"

Velvet Scarlatina, Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, and Yatsuhashi Daichi were all looking a bit weary as they walked away from the Bullhead. The team was a full year ahead of RWBY and JNPR, so whatever they had faced that had sapped them of their energy in such a way must have been severe indeed.

"Velvet!" Blake called out, approaching the soft-spoken sophomore. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Velvet reassured with a smile, her rabbit ears twitching. "I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me."

"Your mission was supposed to end a _week _ago!" Weiss noted. It was true. Coco and Velvet had been intending to plan out the Beacon Ball, but with them still out on patrol, it had fallen to Weiss and Yang. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," the rabbit Faunus said. "It was just…" Her expression went far away. "There were just so many…" Noticing their worried expressions, she flashed them a reassuring smile. "Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"Right," Yang said slowly.

"I should go," the older girl said. "Be safe, okay?" She walked away with a wave.

Noticing her team's sudden drop in enthusiasm, Ruby said, "We can do this. We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now."

"Right," Blake agreed.

"Besides," the leader pointed out, "it won't just be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!"

"Yeah!" Yang agreed.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Team RWBY stared, wide-eyed, as their Huntsman zipped out of the Bullhead, dressed in a tan coat and a pith hat that covered his green hair.

"Why hello, girls!" Professor Oobleck said rapidly with a swing of his arm and a smile beneath the thick lenses of his glasses. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"


	29. Search and Destroy

**Chapter Nine: Search and Destroy**

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss asked hesitantly, her posture still displaying that she wasn't quite sure what to say.

The teacher had evidently had some coffee that morning, because his speech was already almost too quick to keep track of as he paced back and forth and said, "Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, girls, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And…" He zipped in close to the heiress' face. "It's _Doctor _Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!" With that, he zipped back.

"Uh…" Weiss mumbled unsurely, trading a glance with Blake that said that it might not be too late to select a different assignment yet.

"Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind… schedule!" The professor zoomed away, back to the Bullhead about a hundred meters away.

Trying to make light of the situation, Ruby adopted a positive voice. "Well, alright then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oo…" She looked at her team, and her face fell to match theirs as she finished more downbeat, "...bleck okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse."

"_Save the world?" _a girl's voice behind them demanded. The team turned to see their friends on JNPR approaching. Nora cried out, "You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt! Sad!" Her stomach growled. "Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault though… _Ren,"_ she finished pointedly as she turned to her teammate, who merely turned away and crossed his arms indignantly.

"Sounds exciting," Jaune said, readdressing the topic at hand. "Where ya going?"

"Oh, just outside the Kingdom," Ruby replied nonchalantly.

"Hey! So are we!" the bubbly pink girl put in.

Pyrrha smiled. "Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village."

"We set out tomorrow," Ren said.

"Then you can party with us tonight!" Neptune said as he and Sun jumped into the conversation from the side. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."

Jaune looked wistfully at Neptune and Sun, wishing for their cooler assignment.

"We normally go to the city with you guys," Sun said, "_which _means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the Kingdom when it's, you know… normal."

"Well–" Ruby began, before the faroff voice of Oobleck called from behind them, "_Four _minutes, ladies!" before he ducked back into the Bullhead. Team RWBY appeared mildly sheepish for a moment or two.

"Well, uh… wish us luck!" Ruby said with a thumbs-up." JNPR, Sun, and Neptune began to walk back to the courtyard as Team RWBY began their walk to the Bullhead, leaving their bags behind for some staff to pick up, with the exception of Ruby's backpack, which she clung to protectively.

* * *

The scenery below gradually shifted from the school grounds to the city of Vale, then to some of the countryside in and around the walls as the airship crossed over the capital city's protective border and began to move towards Quadrant 5.

Yang looked out over the wide expanse as she addressed her teacher. "I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter."

The green-haired doctor reassure her, "I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby said, her head tilted in confusion.

"Those are truffles," Blake said as she leaned over.

"Like the sprout?" the leader asked, still confused.

"Those are brussels," supplied her sister.

"Besides," Oobleck continued, "given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular… assignment!"

""What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

The teacher turned to her swiftly. "Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."

"And that means…?" the heiress asked.

Oobleck gestured to her with a pointed finger as he shifted into his teaching tone. "The southeast quadrant of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, _but _it is also the location to one of the Kingdom's greatest failures!"

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby supplied.

"That's right!" Yang said suddenly. "It was an expansion of Vale… but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."

"Correct!" the teacher affirmed. "And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder."

"And a likely place for a hideout," Blake put in.

The doctor adjusted his glasses with a cunning grin. "Precisely!"

* * *

As one, Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck dropped into the ruined streets of Mountain Glenn, with the Bullhead turning back towards the academy. Decrepit buildings that were smashed and worn form age and weather surrounded them, like a deserted metropolis, and old rubble was scattered about. A ruined highway stretched above them, and the mark of time was clear on the doomed settlement wherever the Huntsman and Huntresses looked. The team had their weapons cautiously drawn, while the doctor sipped at his coffee thermos.

"Ladies, you may still be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?"

The team nodded as one, before Oobleck turned suddenly to Ruby, who recoiled reflexively and dropped her scythe. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school!"

The leader fumbled for an excuse. "But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."

The doctor mused to himself, "She's not wrong." To her, he ordered, "Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it back up upon our return."

Ruby stuttered, "But, I… well, uh–"

"Young lady, what could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with–"

The bag suddenly popped open as an adorable corgi's head peeked out, prompting everyone to look over to the tag along. "Get back in the bag," Ruby whispered to her pet. Zwei barked.

Oobleck looked at her. "We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought… a dog?"

"I, uh…"

"_Genius!" _the professor cried out to the girls' surprise. Ruby gave her team a shrug before the teacher accidentally knocked her over as he snatched the corgi from her backpack. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound," Oobleck said as he spun the dog in the air, "making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!" The dog barked again, happy to be given attention.

Ruby looked to her team with a smile. "I'm a genius!" Weiss and Yang both slapped a hand to their forehead.

"So, what are your orders, Doctor?" Blake asked, trying to redirect everyone to their original purpose.

Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" He dropped the dog to the ground and placed his hand behind his back. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being... Grimm."

There was a short pause as the team tried to process the repetitive statement. "Uh, what?" Ruby asked.

Oobleck nodded over their shoulders. "Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment."

"What?" Yang cried as the girls whirled as one. A Beowolf had wandered into the street, sniffing at a pile of weeds, seemingly ignorant to their presence as the girls drew their weapons.

"Stop!" came Oobleck's sharp, whispered command. "There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness… envy… loneliness… hatred. All qualities that are likely to be held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"So, what now?" asked the reaper.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Blake asked.

Oobleck looked contemplative. "It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months – and there's the whole pack," he cut himself off as more of the creatures began to appear from the wreckage. "And now they've seen us."

"What?" Weiss cried.

"_And now they've seen us!" _Oobleck cried back at her.

The monsters began to growl as they approached the human group. "I take it tracking them is out of the question?" Ruby asked.

"An accurate assumption, yes," the doctor replied.

"What's the plan then?" her sister asked.

Oobleck regarded the Huntresses before him. "Show me what you're capable of," he replied, gesturing to the approaching pack.

As she swung Crescent Rose around, Ruby called out to her dog, "Cover your ears, Zwei!" The corgi obeyed, curling into a ball as he placed his paws over his ears.

Yang ran forward to meet the head Beowolf, downing it with a fiery blast and a smile as she raced by the pack. Some took off after her, while others paused and took in the black and white girl standing stoically to the side. Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud and leaped high to avoid an attack from behind, slicing the Beowolf in half as it crashed into her shadow. Blake sliced another one into the air, bisecting it as well, then took out a third one with a downward strike as Weiss rushed away from a group behind her. One came at her from the front, and she leaped nimbly over it and ended it with a swift slice as she faced down the oncoming Grimm behind her. She dashed forward with a glyph, Myrtenaster in hand, and sliced through the wave in an instant, killing four of the dark monsters at once.

Multiple creatures fell to Ruby as she fired shot after shot at an approaching hoard. Zwei was busy chasing his tail as the red reaper whittled down the pack, leaving one alive for her to dash towards and cut through in the center.

Team RWBY stood before the destruction they had wrought on the Grimm, with its namesake hefting her scythe as she told Oobleck, "Heh! Piece of cake!"

Seriously, the doctor replied, "Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?"

* * *

The party of investigators traversed deeper into the ruined city, slaying Grimm and hunting for any sign of the White Fang as they went. After a few exhausting hours, they had still come up empty. "Excellent work, girls!" Oobleck cried after yet another successful battle with the Grimm." The girls caught their breath, staring at the dissolving bodies of the Beowolves. "Unfortunately," the doctor went on, "there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal activity in this sector."

Brightly, he cried out, "Oh well! Moving on!"

Ruby sheathed her weapon and motioned to Zwei as Yang called out in annoyance. "Hey, Doc, y'know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a 'pro Huntsman' in action. Like, _fighting,_ or at least, _helping _us fight?"

"Ah, but I _am _in action," the hyperactive teacher corrected as he walked away, "scouring the ruins of this once-great city for any signs of irregularity!" He turned back to the team. "Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, girls. Sometimes, it's just a heightened form of extermination!" Taking in Yang;s unsure gaze, he added, "Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."

"Well, yeah…" The blond attempted a more firm response, "O-Of course!"

"Hmm," the doctor mused.

* * *

Later, after another bout, Oobleck addressed Yang privately. "Tell me Yang: why did you choose this line of work?"

"Huh?" She took in his inquisitive gaze. "Well, to fight monsters and save–"

"No," he cut her off, "that is what you _do_. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."

"The honest reason?" Yang paused for a moment. "I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?"

"I see," Doctor Oobleck said after a moment of consideration.

* * *

Oobleck sat on the windowsill of a ruined building as Weiss fought off a group of Beowolves, writing in his journal. "And you, Miss Schnee? A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So… why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"

Weiss withdrew her rapier from the final enemy, letting the dead monster drop to the ground. "It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty."

"Interesting," the Huntsman said with a slight smile.

* * *

Blake cut down a door with her katana, a flock of small Nevermores swarming out at her. She avoided them with a backflip and fired up into the sky with her pistol, dropping the birdlike Grimm with one shot each.

"And what about you, Blake?" Oobleck asked, taking note of the ruined doorway. "You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption… Someone has to stop it."

"Very well. How?"

Blake, taken aback, stuttered a non answer. "I, uh…"

The doctor peered at her. "Hmm…"

* * *

Ruby was playing around with Zwei later, teasing him with some food stuck to her scythe as everyone regrouped. Seeing Oobleck approach, she hurriedly put her weapon away. "Sorry!" she exclaimed. "Uh… are we ready to keep going?"

The green-haired professor turned to the other three. "Nope! I believe that will have to do it for today. It's going to be dark soon." He tossed Yang the small sack he had brought along. "You three, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those… creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby." The young reaper walked after her teacher, and Yang, Blake, and Weiss exchanged a glance, wondering what Ruby's answer to the question would be.

Oobleck and Ruby rounded a corner, coming to a stop at the drop off that marked the edge of the abandoned settlement. Ruby stared out into the forest beyond, breathing a low, "Woah!" Through the trees, the sight that Ruby was amazed by strode slowly through the wasteland: a herd of Goliaths, large, elephantine Grimm. "What _is _that?" Ruby asked in awe. "It looks awesome!"

"That, my dear girl, is a Grimm," her professor supplied.

Ruby gazed in wonder at the lumbering herd, before retrieving her sniper rifle from her back. She cocked Crescent Rose. "Let's kill it!"

The doctor chuckled. ""I'm afraid your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size."

"But… what if it attacks us?"

"Fret not, Ruby; those Goliaths are not concerned with us," he reassured her. In a more serious voice, he told her, "Ruby, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is _still_ mindless. You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you fought, that they've undoubtedly lived hundreds of years, and in that time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they have done one important thing: They've _learned_. They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength, we make up for in will, and that killing one human will only bring more."

Ruby gazed out at the herd again as one of the creatures turned its massive head to glare at them. "Then why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"

The teacher followed her gaze severely. "Waiting."

The Goliath turned away from the ruined Mountain Glenn and rejoined its herd in their foreboding sojourn through the wilderness. Oobleck turned from the ledge and began to walk back to the campsite, but Ruby put her weapon away and didn't move, calling out, "Doctor Oobleck?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering…"

"Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?" the teacher asked as he turned back to her.

"A-Actually, I was wondering… Why did _you _want to become a Huntsman?"

Oobleck smiled to himself as his own question was turned on himself. He gazed at the ruined city around them. "Look around and tell me what you see."

"Lots of old buildings, uh, empty streets…" Ruby said, looking around.

Oobleck fixed her with a stare. "I see lives that could have been saved." He continued to walk away, with Ruby and her faithful corgi following. "As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom. I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity; an opportunity to study these ruins and _learn _from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger." He stopped once more and gave her a sincere look. "I am a Huntsman, Ruby, because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be." He turned from her again and walked back to the camp.

* * *

The remaining members of Team RWBY huddled around the fire they had constructed for warmth, awaiting the return of Oobleck and Ruby. "I can't believe we didn't find _anything…_" Yang complained as she stared into the flames.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time," Blake told her. "I guess we can't always have luck on our side."

"That's not what I meant," Weiss said from the side, cutting in on the conversation.

"Huh?" asked Blake, confused at the sudden topic shift.

"Earlier, about… upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that." Weiss frowned thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Yang looked at her. "No, me too. I mean… I don't know."

"I don't know either," the Faunus agreed. "I know what I _want _to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time."

"Well, it doesn't matter," the blonde said. "_We _know why we're here, right?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Blake, Yang, and Weiss exchanged unsure looks. Oobleck suddenly zipped into the room. "Ah, wonderful! A textbook campfire!"

"Fire!" Ruby cried out in relief as she came in behind him. She knelt down and stretched out her hands to warm herself. "So… warm…"

"Very good!" the doctor said. "Eat your dinners and hurry to bed! We have a lot of ground to cover and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?"

"Yo," the leader said with a raised arm. Oobleck zipped off to a corner to sleep in, and Ruby rose to go to her guard position. Yang grabbed her sister as she walked past.

"Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? II mean… what did you tell him?"

"Hmm," Ruby thought for a moment. "No, he didn't." She shrugged it off. "Oh, well; good night guys!"

The reaper moved on to her post, leaving Yang to give a perturbed look downward at her lack of answer. Blake and Weiss mirrored her uncertain looks as they unfolded their mats and laid down. Yang ate some of the bread rolls they had packed for food, then joined the other two in their restless attempts to fall asleep, staring up at the ceiling in trepidation.

Ruby watched out of a cracked hole in the side of the building and listened as a faroff pack of Beowolves howled into the night. Zwei walked up beside her and panted at her, prompting her to ruby his fuzzy head. "Don't worry," she said softly to him. "Things will be better tomorrow."

They stared out together at the ruined wreckage of Mountain Glenn, listening to the howls and cries of the monsters that rang through the night.


	30. Mountain Glenn

**Chapter Ten: Mountain Glenn**

Far away from Mountain Glenn, from behind the safe walls of Vale and Beacon Academy, James Ironwood looked over the city from the landing docks, deep in thought. The lights of the city twinkled in the night, and a few of the airships from his fleet hovered protectively over the buildings.

Footsteps from behind signalled her arrival before Glynda called out to him, "Trouble sleeping?"

He looked back at her, placing a hand on the opposite shoulder. "Arm was acting up," he offered. She didn't bite.

"Of course, so logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely, and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance." She walked completely up to him, standing at his side. "What's wrong?" she asked with a concerned glance.

Ironwood gave a sigh. "I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just, I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know very well that _we _are not the ones in the dark."

He chuckled without mirth. "That makes it _worse!_ I refuse to believe that a man I've trusted for so long would act so… passively."

Glynda placed a hand on Ironwood's shoulder. "You're a good person, James," she said reassuringly. "You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable." She paused, then continued with a more reproachful tone. "But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it." Her hand fell from his shoulder as they stared out together across the cityscape. "Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering."

Ironwood nodded appreciatively. However, he kept to himself that, while Glynda had reassured him of his own capabilities, she had not, perhaps intentionally, addressed his fears about Ozpin.

* * *

In the abandoned building, Ruby watched carefully through her scope as a lone Beowolf rooted through some debris below in the street, glancing up towards her momentarily. She sighed in weariness and lowered her weapon. Behind her, the fire still burned in the middle of Blake, Weiss, and Yang, while Oobleck remained asleep up in his corner.

The three girls around the campfire each had their eyes closed, but sleep was the furthest thing from their minds at the moment. "Blake, are you awake?" Yang asked softly.

"Yeah," the Faunus sighed.

"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?"

"Maybe he was just curious."

"You think?"

"No," Blake admitted.

Yang turned to their other partner. "Weiss, are you awake?"

She recoiled and rolled her eyes as Weiss snapped, "Of course I'm awake! You two are talking! And I think he…" She paused. "When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid; I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a… moral gray area."

"That's putting it lightly," Blake snorted.

"Which is _why _I feel the need to make things right," Weiss continued defensively. "If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

Weiss' explanation laid out, Blake volunteered herself next. "All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I—how can I undo so many years of hate?"

Yang tried to uplift her. "I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake."

"But I am!" the Faunus protested. "When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself—an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!"

There was silence for a moment. "At least the two of you have something that drives you." The heiress and the Faunus turned to Yang's uncharacteristically quiet tone.

Yang rolled over. "I've just kind of always gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine. I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that." She turned to Ruby, who hadn't heard the conversation from her guard position. "I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress It's like she said; ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she _knew _that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."

"Well, she's just a kid," Weiss pointed out.

"She's only two years younger," Blake replied. "We're _all _kids."

"Well, not anymore," the blonde said as she called their attention. She gestured to their weapons and said incredulously, "I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!"

"It's the life we chose," Blake replied.

"It's a _job,"_ Weiss corrected. "We all had this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads. But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want… will have to come second."

From his corner, the apparently-sleeping Doctor Oobleck's mouth shifted upward almost imperceptibly in a smile.

* * *

A few hours later, early into the morning, Ruby lay sleeping on Yang's mat, while her sister had taken up the second watch. Zwei was curled up next to her, but the dog suddenly rose up, stirring Ruby.

The leader groaned. "Huh? Zwei, it's late, go back to bed." She put her head back down, but then, Zwei suddenly ran off, rounding the corner that led to the stairs. "Zwei, _Zwei!_" Ruby called after the runaway corgi. "Ugh!" she moaned. Not disturbing her now-sleeping teammates and professor or her watching sister, she quickly scooped up Crescent Rose and took off after the dog.

At the base of the building, Ruby quietly called out, "Zwei? Zwei, where are you? Zwei!" Suddenly, a small pattering noise drew her attention. "Huh?" She looked to the side and saw Zwei going to the bathroom behind a post. He finished and trotted over to her with a happy bark. "Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!"

He barked again, and she sighed. Suddenly, she stiffened as an unfamiliar male voice carried around a corner. "What was that?"

She hid behind a pile of rubble and peeked out. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of two rifle-wielding men patrolling the street, clothed in the by-now familiar White Fang outfit.

"What was what?" the second guard asked the first one who had spoken.

"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something."

"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps."

The two guards began to walk away, with Ruby tailing them secretly for a few minutes. Ruby waited around a corner, sticking Zwei around the corner as the guards approached a metal set of doors. "Did they go in yet?" she asked her pet. "One bark means yes."

There was a slam, and the corgi barked once.

She set him down on the ground and excitedly said, "Oh! This is it! This is it!" She whipped out her Scroll and called her teammates. However, a red signal flared on the screen that read "_Low Signal."_

"Aw man!" she griped. "Come on, we gotta get the others." The duo dashed out into the street. However, the street began to crack beneath her feet, and she stumbled unstably. Below her, a massive sinkhole suddenly appeared, sending cracked asphalt falling down into a darkened cavern below. Ruby desperately grabbed the ledge with one arm, catching Zwei before he could fall into the abyss. She tossed him up to the street, where he looked down at her in concern. She tried to pull herself up, but the concrete crumbled in her fingers, and she cried out as she tumbled down into the sinkhole. She landed hard on the surface of a building, looking up in pained surprise as she took in the sight of a near-exact copy of Mountain Glenn, stretching out far with ruined buildings. Behind her, a door on the roof of the building she had landed on burst open, streaming in blinding light that caused her to squint against it.

Two White Fang guards burst onto the roof, weapons pointed at her. "Freeze!" cried one.

"Where did she come from?" the second asked his friend.

"You're a long way from home, little girl."

Ruby backed away from the guards, wavering slightly as she tottered at the edge. She went for her weapon, but the realized that she had dropped it far above on the surface, leaving her weaponless. The guards came close, one grabbing her arm.

"Hey, hands off!" She yanked her arm away and threw a mighty punch at the guard, one that struck him right in the torso hard enough to barely make him stumble backwards a step. He caught her next blow and knocked her back with a stinging slap across the face, causing her to stumble to the ground.

"The boss is gonna want to see this," he said, approaching her. The last thing she saw was a boot coming fast for her face.

* * *

Yang stretched as she walked back into their refuge. "Hey Weiss, it's your…" she trailed off, noticing Ruby's vacant mat. "Ruby?" She spoke louder, waking the others. "Hey, where's Ruby?"

Blake and Weiss sat up, and Oobleck leaned in around the corner with a groggy "What?" as he rubbed his eyes.

Suddenly, a small corgi bounded into the room, barking and whimpering. "Zwei?" Yang asked in surprise, and the dog whined.

"What's going on?" Blake asked.

"Grab your weapons!" Oobleck ordered seriously, for once being a bit slow with his speech. "Your leader may be in trouble."

* * *

Ruby shook her head with a pained groan as she felt herself being dragged along by two strong arms on either side. She looked from side to side. All around her, there was activity of all sorts: White Fang members driving Paladins to move large containers of Dust, others crating along smaller boxes. To her right, there was a loud clang as, within a train car, two White Fang members huddled around a detonator-looking device.

"Hey, be careful!" one chastised. "What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?"

"Sorry, sir!" the other replied in a meek voice.

The two guards dragging her came to a stop in front of another train car. "Hey boss!" one called out to the open door. "Found something you might want to see!"

From within, a familiar voice called out, "Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have _had _a day!"

"Uh… it's a little girl?" Perry called out uncertainly.

Cigar lit, Roman Torchwick leaned out from within the car and took in the sight of Ruby, inhaling sharply when he recognized her. "That would be bad," he said as he tossed away the cigar.

* * *

Zwei barked as he came to a stop in front of a large sinkhole in the ground. "Ruby's scythe!" Yang exclaimed upon laying eyes on Crescent Rose.

"Oh, no," Blake said.

Weiss agreed. "Do you think she fell?"

"Fell?" asked the teacher as he zipped to her side.

"Down there," Weiss said as she pointed to the large hole.

Oobleck took in the large hole, an alarmed realization blooming on his face. "Oh my. Of course. Of course, _of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE!"_

"What is it?" Blake asked in confusion at the doctor's sudden revelation.

"How could I be so stupid?!" Oobleck cried to himself.

"Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?"

The doctor launched into a long, speedy rant, switching between addressing Yang, Blake, and Weiss. "Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find?" Oobleck knelt down and pointed at Zwei's panting face as the corgi licked his finger. "The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"

"Doc, what are you saying?" Yang asked, still lost.

Oobleck seized her by the shoulders. "My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an _underground _crime network!"

The girls realized the implication immediately. "They've been working in caves?" Blake asked.

"No, no," the doctor corrected as he waved his hands. "Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start!" He turned to the large sinkhole, gazing into its dark depths. "As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!"

"An underground village?" Yang said in surprised realization.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," the teacher confirmed. "A safe haven. Until…" his voice fell as he continued, "an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb."

Blake and Weiss both stared down into the deep hole. Oobleck drew their gaze as he continued, "If Ruby is down there…" He pulled out his coffee thermos, pressing a hidden button that extended a staff from the base into his hand and a barrel from its tip. He held it by the staff and his handle, a determined expression on his face as he finished, "We must find her."


	31. No Brakes

**Chapter Eleven: No Brakes**

Ruby slid across the ground on her back, the blow from Roman's cane sending her sprawling backwards. The master criminal laughed as he leaned on Melodic Cudgel and smirked down at her. "Wow, you are _much _more manageable without that oversized gardening tool of yours."

She stood to her feet with a scowl and a grunt, charging Roman with a fist cocked. Roman merely stepped to the side and pushed her off balance at her legs with the cane. He chuckled again as he addressed the three guards congregated behind him. "Oh, man. You know, Perry, I really did need this."

Perry shot his boss a silent thumbs-up.

"But seriously," Roman said as he walked to Ruby. He knelt down and lifted her chin with the tip of his cane, Melodic Cudgel's barrel resting threateningly at her neck. "How'd you find this place, Red?"

Ruby gave a growl and activated her Semblance, vanishing before his eyes with a few rose petals in her wake. "Woah!" Roman said in abrupt surprise as he turned and watched her run towards the train tunnels stretching into the distance. He flipped the cane in his hands, holding it by the base, and pressed a hidden button, firing off the hooked handle like a grappling hook that seized the young Huntress by the hood and reeled her in like a red snapper. She scowled up at her captor as he pulled the hook back in.

"I see you've got some tricks up your sleeve!" He grinned down at her. "Let me make this clear: we're not through here yet."

Down the tunnel, there came a large explosion that thudded loudly, echoing through the enormous cavern and sending up a cloud of dust around the corner of one of the ruined streets. Roman glanced up. "Oh what the…" He turned to his men. "Perry if you and the boys could take care of that?" He pointed down at Ruby. "Kinda in the middle of something."

Perry gave a slight nod and stepped forward, but then stepped back again as another, louder explosion rumbled the air. Roman turned toward the direction of the noise. "_What _is going on here?!" he demanded with an annoyed shout.

Down the ruined street, a third explosion sounded, and this time, a squad of screaming White Fang guards turned the corner in desperate flight from an unknown enemy, some firing with their rifles back at the source of the explosions. Roman scowled as the rest of Team RWBY, a bespectacled man with green hair contained under a pith helmet, and a small dog rounded the corner after the White Fang. Just as he growled, someone jumped on his back from behind. Ruby pulled Torchwick's hat down over his eyes and then sprinted away towards her friends.

Exasperated, Roman fixed his hat and shouted angrily, "Somebody kill her!"

He and his guards opened fire with their weapons, but Ruby dodged every shot as she made her escape. Bending Melodic Cudgel in frustration, Roman turned to the nearest White Fang grunt. "Attach this cart and spread the word! "We're starting the train."

"But we're not finished!" the guard protested, before he began to sputter and choke. Roman viciously pressed the tip of Melodic Cudgel against the man's throat as he thrust the poor man up against the train.

"Do it, or you're finished!" Torchwick ordered coldly. He released the man and walked to the front of the train.

Ruby continued to sprint forward, but then came up short as a line of White Fang soldiers stretched out in front of her. However, from behind them, the familiar sound of Ember Celica firing off rang out, and they disappeared in a burst of fire that sent them flying.

"Ruby!" Yang cried in relief as the leader leaped to her sister.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked in concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she reassured them quickly. "But listen! Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there."

"What?" Blake said as she passed Ruby her weapon. Ruby checked out Crescent Rose and readied it for battle as she elaborated, "Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars!"

"Ahhh, that's ridiculous," Oobleck said. "These tunnels are sealed, the-the tracks lead to a dead-end."

The group looked up as a PA system crackled to life. "_Get to your places, we are leaving now!" _Roman called over the intercom as the train began to rumble to life, chugging into the abandoned metro tunnels towards the sealed entrance to the kingdom.

"Well, it sounds like they're going _somewhere,"_ Yang said pointedly.

"So, what do we do?" the heiress asked.

"I believe we only have one option," Oobleck said firmly.

Ruby turned a serious gaze to the moving locomotive. "We're stopping that train."

* * *

The train had picked up speed considerably as the metro began its journey to the sealed-off entrance. One guard on the back of the train looked back at a noise that caught his attention, and he caught a disappearing flicker of rose petals as he leaned out to look at the rear. He opened up his comm device.

"I think they're on the–" Before the guard could finish, a large, green weapon came down on top of his head, and the guard sank to the floor of the car as Oobleck grinned.

At the front of the train, word had spread through the chain of communication, and a grunt burst through the door of Roman's car. "Boss! They made it on the train!"

Roman groaned at the idiocy. "Then grab some cargo and get them _off _the train!" The other nodded and departed quickly to relay the orders to the rest of his allies as Roman sighed to himself. "Man, animals, every one of them," he muttered. When a nearby White Fang member standing at his side gave him a questioning look, he nervously clarified, "Not you, though, heh. You're great!"

* * *

The group of Huntsmen stood at the rear of the speeding train. "Hurry, children!" Oobleck shouted over the rushing wind. "We must get to the front and stop this train."

"Err… Professor?" Weiss began inquisitively.

"_Doctor," _Oobleck corrected crossly.

"What's that?" Weiss finished, pointing down through an open hatch on the roof into the train car, where a metal device with blue and red wires and an activation screen rested on the floor.

Oobleck knelt down to the hatch. "That my dear… appears to be a bomb." Team RWBY backed a step away from the hole.

Ruby looked ahead of them. "We've got baddies!" she shouted, watching as dozens of White Fang soldiers suddenly began to climb up and out of the train cars onto the roof of the speeding locomotive. The team, Zwei, and Oobleck followed her gaze.

"Well, I didn't expect them to go–" the teacher began, before a beeping noise from within the car drew their attention. They looked down to see that the activation screen on the bomb had suddenly flared up red. He sighed and finished, "...easy on us." Standing, he motioned to the next car. "Time to go!"

Before she leaped to the car, Oobleck grabbed Blake by the shoulder. "Blake, detach the caboose!" he ordered. "It will kill us all!"

"On it!" she said as she leaped down to the space between the cars, where they were coupled together by metal fasteners. She reached up behind her, preparing to slice through with the larger, flat blade of Gambol Shroud. However, the couplings suddenly released, allowing the caboose to slowly begin to fall behind the rest of the train as Blake looked on with a confused "Huh?"

She turned up to the ledge and called up to her instructor, "It decoupled itself!"

"What?" Oobleck demanded, taken aback. Yang popped up beside him.

"I guess he _really _doesn't want us on this train," she said. Oobleck stared backwards and watched as the bomb went off, slamming the caboose into the ceiling with shattering force.

"That's not good," he muttered to himself.

"Neither is this!" Ruby called out from behind him. He turned as Blake jumped up to join them, and they both took in the rest of the team huddled around another rooftop hatch, through which another wired device was visible.

"Another bomb?" Blake cried in confused surprise.

Oobleck suddenly realized the truth. "No, no no!" he mumbled as he ran to the next car up and popped its hatch. Inside was an identical device. He turned back to Team RWBY. "They _all _have bombs!"

The girls looked down as suddenly, the bomb inside their car began to beep, and the couplings once again detached. They sprinted to the next car before the train could leave them behind. "This doesn't make any sense!" Yang said with a shake of her head.

The White Fang began to converge on the Huntresses' position, one shouting, "Get the Humans!"

The team charged forward as one to engage. Yang took the first one head on, uppercutting him before she spun around and threw him a quick wink as she launched him down into the car with her Ember Celica. Blake came at a large group with Gambol Shroud spinning on its ribbon, slicing and striking as she moved from side to side and eliminated enemies left and right, a few flying completely off the train. Weiss charged forward, propelled by her glyphs, and used Myrtenaster to summon a large trail of spiked ice behind her that knocked off several of the White Fang before coming to a halt, where she proceeded to disarm several of the Faunus with her rapier. Ruby smiled as she rotated her scythe's blade straight into the air. It was a form that she rarely used, but it was effective when she did. Firing a bullet and utilizing her speed, she dashed forward with a sweeping golf swing, knocking the last of this first wave high in the air.

Oobleck turned from spectating the battle to watch as the second car exploded behind them. Unlike the last one, however, the bomb created a large hole in the ground above, exposing the metro tunnel to the Grimm above Beowolves; Ursai; Death Stalkers; a King Taijitu; and Creeps, which were ugly creatures with fanged mouths that lacked arms and walked upright on two legs, began to swarm into the tunnel and after the train. "Oh, dear…" the professor murmured to himself, realizing with horror the madness of Torchwick's scheme. He turned to the girls as they mopped up the remainder of the first wave. "He's leading Grimm to the city!"

"What?" Weiss cried in disbelief.

"It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm!"

"That's insane!" Blake shouted.

Another car behind the teams fell back. "We have to hurry!" Oobleck shouted to

his students. "You three!" he ordered to Blake, Yang, and Weiss, "go below and try to stop those bombs!" The teenagers nodded and quickly ducked into a hatch.

"What about us?" Ruby asked.

Oobleck put his hands on his hips and gazed forward determinedly. "We're going to stop this train!"

"Yeah, I know," Ruby stated to his chagrin. "I said that earlier."

They advanced across the cars, drawing ever closer to the front of the runaway metro. Further up, a large, open car containing several Atlesian Paladin-290s suddenly came to life as soldiers began to jump into the cockpits of the giant mechs. Oblivious," Ruby and Oobleck pressed on, the teacher shouting to her, "Up ahead!" However, they stopped in their tracks as the first Paladin jumped up to the roof of the train with them. "We've got a problem!" Oobleck cried.

"The teacher took a quick sip from his thermos, then activated the weapon, a small tongue of flame dancing at the end of the long weapon's barrel. Zwei, who had been with Ruby and Oobleck in their charge to the front, barked in determination and jumped up into the air. Oobleck swung the thermos like a bat and sent Zwei flying forward in a ball of fire. The corgi raced ahead, protected from the flames by his Aura, as he crashed into the first Paladin. The robot stumbled off of the train from the impact, rolling under the wheels relentlessly for a few moments before it exploded behind the vehicle. Zwei turned as a large metal foot came down beside him, barking a challenge up at this new opponent. The large mech focused its weaponry at the corgi, before it too was obliterated and sent backward by Oobleck's flaming attacks. The teacher and Ruby leaped forward to join the dog, Oobleck adjusting his pith helmet with a self-satisfied smile.

* * *

Within the train, Blake, Weiss, and Yang landed nimbly on the floor of their train car. "I guess this is what we trained for," Yang quipped without humor.

Weiss reached to her belt and withdrew a Dust magazine, which she extended towards Blake. "Here, this should help you."

Blake gratefully accepted the clip from the heiress, fitting it into her weapon as the group began to press forward. Their quick advance was suddenly halted as a familiar figure leaped into view from behind the boxes of cargo lining the car's walls. Pink and brown hair tossed behind her, the silently smirking form of Neopolitan gazed at the approaching Huntresses, her parasol in hand.

Yang gave her a hard gaze. She still hadn't brushed off her bruised ego from their last encounter. "You two go on ahead. This one's mine."

Blake and Weiss scarcely hesitated as they ran forward. Neo tensed, anticipating an attack from them, but Yang fired off her shotgun gauntlets as they ran ahead, causing Neo to flip backwards and avoid the shot. The checkered duo disappeared through the door of the next car. Yang walked forward, stopping at arms' length from her ice cream-themed foe, Neo barely coming up to Yang's chin with a startling difference in height. Neo looked up at her with an unsettlingly confident smile, her heterochromatic, brown and pink eyes switching colors unsettlingly as she blinked. Yang scowled, her fist clenching at her side and threw her first punch, but Neo's gaze grew sinister as Yang was spun backward by an unseen force.

Yang turned, startled at her lack of success, to see that Neo had thrust the parasol forward from down low, driving Yang backwards. The shorter girl unfolded her parasol behind her as she straightened, and the fight was on as Yang leaped back into attack.

Yang came in high and low, throwing punches and the occasional kick, trying hard to find som ground upon which she could stand. However, with each powerful punch, Neo simply smiled that infuriating smirk and dodged quickly out of the way, stepping backwards as Yang became frustrated at her lack of success. She tried going high, but Neo blocked a few of her attacks and came in with a sudden, spinning kick that knocked Yang to the ground with a surprised grunt. She growled with a grimace as Neo smirked down at her and flipped into another kick, which smacked to the deck as Yang rolled out of the way.

The blonde charged forward again, but Neo trapped the punching hand with her parasol's handle, pulling Yang forward and off balance while the ice cream mercenary stretched her own limber body, bringing her left leg straight up in a kick that caught Yang right on the face. As Yang stumbled backwards, Neo readjusted her leg to kick out to the side, striking Yang in the torso to knock her back to the ground as Neo flipped back over her. Yang scrambled to her feet as her deadly foe suddenly stopped her defensive counterattacks and went on the offensive, thrusting in with her open umbrella. Yang was pushed gradually backwards to a wall as Neo used the strong pink fabric as well as the handle of the parasol to attack her. Aggravated, Yang unleashed a blast at Neo's feet, trying to throw her off balance. Neo merely maintained her silent grin as she flipped backwards and came to a seated position on a crate, parasol open over her shoulder in a picture of innocence, only succeeding in further infuriating Yang.

* * *

A chainsaw revved and dragged along the ground ahead of Blake and Weiss, who exchanged glances as they rushed to the next car. Ahead of them, the masked White Fang Lieutenant from the warehouse a few weeks prior heaved his chainsaw in preparation for a fight.

"You go on ahead!" Weiss called.

"Got it!" Blake replied.

Blake blocked a strike from the chainsaw as Weiss jumped up and backflipped, hitting various parts of the hulking man as she rushed in with Myrtenaster, knocking him on his back. The heiress smiled at her Faunus friend as Blake disappeared into the next room and the Lieutenant rose slowly to his feet, a dark chuckle reverberating in his throat.

"Finally, I get to kill a Schnee," he said with a slight accent, as Weiss prepared for the battle by holding her rapier at the ready position. She hoped she had been right to send Blake ahead, because she would need every ounce of her skill in order to defeat this massive foe.

* * *

In the final car, Blake grit her teeth in menace as she fixed her eyes on the final prize, Roman Torchwick, who smiled at her and twirled Melodic Cudgel on his hand. "Hello, kitty cat. You miss me? You know, we really gotta stop meeting like this; people are gonna talk…"

She didn't answer, instead deciding to charge forward. Torchwick mirrored her with a growl, coming in high with his cane, but Blake rolled past him and used the Dust cartridge in her weapon with her Semblance to leave a flaming shadow clone of herself. As Melodic Cudgel struck the clone, it exploded, launching him into the air with a surprised cry. Blake leaped up to join him and struck him thrice with the flat blade to send him back down. She landed and unsheathed her katana, adopting a fighting stance as Roman got back to her feet. He groaned and aimed with the cane, firing off a burst at her.

She ducked back and used Earth Dust to leave a solid clone that absorbed the blow, then leaped high over it. Roman looked high to anticipate the attack, but she left a normal shadow and feinted to the ground, engaging in a quick exchange with Torchwick where he traded blocks for her blows. He came in with an attack, but she left an ice clone behind that froze solid around his cane, sticking him fast. He looked at her as she flipped backwards and unleashed a wave of energy from her sword that shattered the clone and knocking Torchwick back with another pained cry.

Torchwick lost his cane and slammed into the wall, landing back on his back. He moved to get to his hands, but Blake came forward and stepped on his chest, katana extended to his neck. He chuckled nervously before his tone dropped. "Why are we fighting? I saw you at the rally, we're on the same side and you know it."

* * *

The Lieutenant charged forward with the raised chainsaw. Weiss prepared and projected her Aura as a shield in front of her, Myrtenaster pointed as the saw grated against her shield. She sliced low and knocked him back, before he came in with another overhand swipe. She crouched down and deflected the saw down the side of her blade, sparks flying through the air from the metal on metal. "She spun away and stabbed forward again, once again pushing him back into a stumble. She flipped over him and gave a blow to his head before she landed on the other side.

He rose from the strike and slashed horizontally, but Weiss displayed her acrobatic ability as she backflipped beneath the blade, the whirring metal almost scraping her waist as she moved. She came back in with a flurry of slashes which launched him up then threw him down again as she once again managed to flip herself over his prone form.

He came back up and struck once more, but she dodged quickly again, and they repeated the exchange again as she rolled once more. A long, sweeping strike forced her back as she caught the chainsaw at a right angle on her blade, but as he came in with a kick, she jumped to the ceiling and his foot crashed into the boxes. She came back downward with a spiralling strike that he stepped back away blocked another strike and replied in kind. Her stab sent him reeling onto his back, though he came back to a standing position as she adopted an intense expression of concentration.

Weiss summoned a clockwork glyph behind her, hastening her movements with her time dilation as she dashed forward. With an outstretched hand, she summoned up several glyphs around the disoriented Lieutenant as she dashed from side to side, bouncing off of the glyphs as she swept him into the air with her attacks.

She rebounded off of the ceiling and came down to stab him again, but he managed to quickly recover and roll backwards out of the way. She jumped into the air for another attack, but she left herself exposed for a second too long. "C'mere, princess!" the Lieutenant growled as he grabbed her by the head, his hand closing over his face. She gave a surprised, muffled cry as he raised her high and slammed her by the head into the ground, dazing her with the ferocity of the blow. He tossed her into the air and let out a mighty roar, swinging the chainsaw in a deadly arc that was set to intersect her as her prone form fell.

* * *

Neo sat with her legs crossed, smile still evident on her face, as Yang approached with another punch. Neo flipped backwards off of the box redirecting the punch with her legs as she came forward from behind the box and blocked more punches, kicking Yang backwards. In anger, Yang unleashed another shot from Ember Celica, but Neo turned and easily blocked the explosive charge with her parasol, spinning back to face down Yang as the blonde charged again. Neo and Yang traded blows again, Neo easily blocking each strike. She came in with a kick that Yang caught with her hands. In a desperate attempt to do any damage to the ice cream girl, Yang threw Neo by her extended leg. However, Neo moved with the momentum and displayed gymnastic agility as she flipped backwards and came down on two feet. She closed up her parasol and rushed forward, grabbing Yang's body and twisting herself around on top of the blonde's head as Yang spun helplessly below from the momentum. Neo thrust a leg into Yang's side and pulled her up as Neo came down to the ground, the momentum launching the brawler into the ceiling to knock her out. Yang crashed back down to the deck and remained unmoving as Neo turned with her trademark grin and approached.

* * *

The blade hovered closer to Torchwick's neck, and he said to his attacker, "Oh, still feisty. Sooo, what are we gonna do now? You think a little bow on top is gonna make people forget who you were? What you've done…?"

Blake scowled down at him at his words, but anything she intended to do was interrupted as the door behind her slid open and the unconscious form of Weiss Schnee was tossed violently into the room by the Lieutenant, who stepped in with his chainsaw.

"So what's it gonna be, Blake?" Torchwick asked with a sly smile. Her response was a swift kick to the face that knocked the criminal's hat off his head and knocked him out. Blake rushed to her incapacitated friend's side and knelt down to her, gently lifting the heiress into her arms. The Lieutenant ran forward, and Blake quickly turned and spirited Weiss away to safety in the next car.

* * *

Neo unsheathed a thin blade, almost like a large needle, from within her hollow parasol, coming ever closer to Yang. She raised the pointed metal high over her head, grinning sadistically as she prepared to deliver the killing blow.

A sudden flash of movement form her side caught Neo's attention, just as a red-clad figure suddenly materialized out of nowhere. At first, the mercenary girl thought it was the sister of her unconscious opponent, but this new arrival's age, appearance, and long red sword told her otherwise. The woman slashed at Neo twice in rapid succession, driving Neo back. Neo's mouth dropped open in an expression of surprise, and her eyes, previously brown and pink, both shifted to white to mirror her sudden fear.

The warrior of a woman before her was dressed like an oriental red samurai, with segmented red-and-black armor that ended in red and black robes around her torso and a black hilt for her red sword that contained several canisters of Dust. The woman's curly black mane trailed behind her, with a feathery arrangement attached to give her the appearance of cascading feathers for hair. Her legs were covered up to her thighs by high black leggings, and on her face rested a Grimm mask unlike any Neo had ever seen in the White Fang, seemingly intricately carved with four eyes slits, behind which a pair of glittering crimson eyes regarded her coolly.

Slowly, the mysterious figure withdrew her sheathed sword from its hilt, the Dust chamber spinning to a stop and the blade extending outward as the woman leveled it threateningly at the ice cream girl.

Realizing that she was outmatched, Neo resheathed her own sword and twirled her parasol around herself, leaping backwards as she seemingly teleported away in a flash of white light.

Now alone with the unconscious form of Yang, the masked warrior slashed to the side with her sword, opening a red portal that spun in the air as she looked down at the brawler. Without staying around for Yang to wake up, the figure put her sword away and walked into the portal.

Yang came to and shook her pounding head, dazedly gazing forward at what appeared to be a disappearing red figure in front of her. She blinked, almost casting the moment aside, but something stopped her. That sword. _Was that… No. No time, you have a mission to complete._

Shaking away the strange rescue for the moment, Yang turned and made a break for the front of the train, where her friends were sure to be waiting.

* * *

Oobleck, Ruby, and Zwei did battle with the Paladins on the roof of the train, sending one tumbling away. "Ruby!" the teacher cried. "You go on ahead!"

"But–"

"Don't worry, Ruby. It's time… I teach them a lesson!" With a grin, Oobleck ran back down the train towards the group of oncoming Paladins. Ruby looked down at the small corgi at her feet. Zwei gave a sad whimper and folded his ears as he watch Oobleck run away, wanting to help the teacher.

With an understanding smile, Ruby nodded after the doctor and said, "Go."

Zwei barked happily and ran after Oobleck as Ruby turned to the front of the train. From belowdecks, the rest of the girls emerged from the train and joined her. They looked forward helplessly as the train approached a solid concrete barrier. It was too late to stop it.

""What do we do?" Blake asked.

Ruby glanced at Weiss and smiled in unspoken communication, and the heiress twirled and created a large shield of ice around the team. The train bore down on the wall, shattering the concrete in a massive explosion of debris and force.

* * *

Ruby shook her head as she looked from side to side and coughed. They were in the middle of the wreckage of the train, the sky visible overhead signalling that they were above ground. Blake and Yang tried shakily to get to their feet as the dust started to clear, and Weiss was sitting against a larger slab of broken concrete. She met Ruby's gaze with a disoriented thumbs-up. Ruby winced and sat up fully, taking a look around their surroundings. She gasped in shock and horror when she realized that the metro had burst through the surface in the heart of the city of Vale. Around the girls, confused and frightened citizens were looking at the suddenly appeared wreckage as alarms began to blare into the sky.

The ground rumbled beneath Ruby's feet, and the team turned as one as the giant head of a King Taijitu burst skyward out of the large hole and roared. More Grimm began to leak like inky oil from the opening, and the citizens began to scream in terror as they fled the terrifying beasts. Roaring and shouting filled the air as the team looked on in horror. Ruby's expression shifted from shock to anrgy determination as she gripped Crescent Rose and steeled herself for the massive battle to come.


	32. Breach

**Chapter Twelve: Breach**

"Uhn… Waffles," Jaune snored in his dorm room, the rest of Team JNPR similarly asleep. He snorted awake as his Scroll began to vibrate beside him. He sleepily snatched it from the nightstand. "Hello?" he groaned.

"Ah!" He jerked the phone away from his face as the sounds of explosions and firepower sounded over the phone. The call abruptly cut off, displaying Ruby Rose's face as the caller ID. He stared at it for a second. "Ruby?"

* * *

"I'm sure they're fine," Pyrrha reassured him later that morning as they made their way towards the Bullhead set to take them to their first mission.

"You think?" he asked unsurely.

"Probably a butt dial!" Nora said whimsically as she skipped happily along.

Ren agreed, "Team RWBY has always performed exceptionally in the field. We should be focusing on our own mission."

"We're gonna be deputies!" Nora cried excitedly.

"I just got this feeling…" Jaune said. "I don't know."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha began, but before she could respond to him, their attention was suddenly drawn by the sound of alarms blaring in the distance. Then JNPR turned as one to the city below them, and watched in shock as a plume of smoke slowly rose into the sky. Behind them, the alarms suddenly sounded louder at Beacon, prompting Nora to cover her ears. Jaune's face hardened.

"We're changing our mission. Everyone on board!" Jaune ordered his team. The teens dashed to the Bullhead, Jaune pulling Ren to the side before he boarded. "Ren, we'll make it out to that village another time," he reassured.

Ren nodded stoically as he boarded the airship. Jaune followed after him and called out to the pilot, "Take us into the city!"

Three students watched the Bullhead as it took off and sped towards the streets of Vale. "You don't think…?" Emerald asked, turning to her mentor.

"Sure looks like it," Mercury answered her."

"That's still days away!" Emerald protested.

"So? What do we do now?"

Cinder's narrowed eyes glittered as she weighed her options, gazing over the city in turmoil.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stood in a circle, surrounded by a horde of Grimm. All of the girls had their weapons drawn as the King Taijitu roared out a challenge and the army of monsters converged to attack.

Ruby spun on her weapon, sinking the tip in the ground as she twisted and kicked at incoming Beowolves, knocking them back. Yang propelled herself backwards with her weapons and flew into the air, pounding the ground below with shots from Ember Celica that killed several approaching monsters. However, a surprise attack from a group of Nevermores threw Yang back to the ground with a surprised cry. Blake sliced apart a Beowolf, stabbing it through the head with her katana to finish it off, then spun in a circle, firing off her pistol at multiple Grimm with several killing shots. Weiss stabbed and slashed her way through the pack, conjuring up a gigantic blade of ice with her glyphs that cut down several Grimm in one strike.

Yang began to toss crashed cars at the Grimm as Ruby cut down another with Crescent Rose. She turned a wary eye to the King Taijitu, which hovered threateningly above, ready to strike.

"_Nora… SMAAASH!"_

The pink blur of Nora Valkyrie flew into the fray on her hammer, Magnhild, crashing into the snake with a mighty blow. The limp body fell to the street as the rest of Team JNPR appeared for the fight. "Let's move!" Pyrrha cried, dashing forward with Ren and Nora while Jaune gave an annoyed sigh at being usurped briefly as leader.

He quickly regained his senses and readied Crocea Mors, calling out, "Okay, who's first?" A loud thump behind him made him turn around, and he gulped nervously as he turned to face a large Ursa that growled at him. "Oh-ho-kay, you're first huh? Okay, no that's fine."

Pyrrha withdrew her spear from the mouth of a dead Creep and looked behind her. Her eyes widened as she took in Jaune sizing up the Ursa. "Totally fine, done this before, done this before…" the blonde muttered to himself with a sigh, then, he gave a mighty cry and slashed left and right with his sword. After a few seconds, he stopped, taking in the motionless Ursa. The creature regarded him with a surprised look as it toppled backwards and fell still. Jaune let out a sigh of relief as Pyrrha looked on with a smile at his improvement.

Two sets of feet appeared beside the fallen Ursa's head. Neptune and Sun flashed a set of badges as Sun cried, "Nobody move! Junior Detectives!"

"We have badges, so you know it's official!" his partner said. However, both Sun and Neptune looked up in awe, the badge falling from Sun's limp fingers, as a large _whooshing _overhead resounded through the streets and the Atlesian Air Fleet flew over the city, headed by Ironwood's flagship. Machine guns from the ships blazed, cutting down multiple Grimm, including one who had lunged at Ruby from behind. The reaper smiled up at the fleet as AK-200s began to rain from the sky, dropping into the fight and evening the playing field between the Huntsmen and the Grimm.

On the sidelines, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald watched as the Grimm began to wage a losing battle against the android arrivals. The older woman gave a silent nod to her subordinates, and Mercury and Emerald grinned as they jumped into the fray. Mercury began blasting away with his gun boots as Emerald strolled casually towards a group of Ursa and whipped out her pistols, twirling them on her fingers and opening fire. The bearlike Grimm all dropped, except for a single, more heavily-armed Ursa that shrugged off the hits. She unfolded the pistols' melee function, a set of curved, claw-like blades that she sliced at the bear with. She leaped over it several times, extending the blades from a set of long linked chains as the Ursa slid down to the ground and fell silent.

From within the cracked hole in Vale's streets, the robotic arm of a Paladin rose up from the ground, followed by the armored body. Out of the mech leaped a small corgi, barking happily as he reentered the action. Zwei headbutted a Grimm to the ground with a powerful strike as Dr. Oobleck slowly pulled himself from the depths of the mech.

Above the battle, a new Bullhead zoomed overhead. Within the open airship, the entirety of Team CFVY, overseen by Professor Port, were seen watching the fight, before leaping in themselves. Velvet, Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi all came down to help out their fellow students. Yatsuhashi, the tallest and broadest of the team, withdrew his weapon, a long, bronze broadsword with a curved tip, and slammed it into the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave that sent the Grimm flying back. Velvet and Fox both jumped up and kicked at the Grimm, kicking two back, but Velvet fell back behind Yatsuhashi as Fox continued forward. He slashed at an armored, spiked Ursa, launching it into the air and punching it forward with a powerful fist. The bear flew backwards, the force from Fox's punch causing the creature to completely explode in a wave of energy that sent all of its armored spikes shooting outward, where they impaled more of the surrounding Grimm.

Yatsu protected Velvet with his sword and an outstretched, armored arm, while Coco simply strolled forward with a briefcase in hand. She slapped away the spikes that came at her and gave Fox a playful slap on the behind. "Nice hustle, Fox. Good job."

The blind boy gave an appreciative nod before he flipped out of the way, letting

Coco strut forward to a large, towering Beowolf, which snarled threateningly over her. She lowered her sunglasses briefly and eyed it with an annoyed look. "You just destroyed my favorite clothing store." She looked to the wreckage and spat on the ground. "Prepare to die."

The creature sliced down at her with a clawed paw. Coco, almost uncaringly, swung her briefcase up to easily block the paw. She leaned in to look at the hurt creature and brought the bag back down on top of its head, crushing its skull. More of the monsters bounded in to fight her, but she easily smacked them back. A large Death Stalker closed in, and Velvet jumped up to help her leader, reaching for a suitcase of her own, but Coco reached out a hand to stop her.

"Hey, come on, you just spent all the semester building that up!" Coco said. "Don't waste it here." Pressing a button in the handle, Coco transformed her bag into a massive mingun and opened fire, her powerful bullets completely obliterating the approaching Grimm. The Death Stalker and Ursai all were torn to pieces, and then she shifted her aim skyward to destroy the circling Nevermores, which crashed to the ground across the city.

By the hole in the street, Oobleck had finally removed himself from the damaged Paladin as Professor Port came up to him, blunderbus in hand. Facing down an approaching swarm of Grimm, the two teachers opened fire and went to work, their weapons working in unison to carve through the monsters.

Down the street, heels clicked angrily on the sidewalk as Glynda strode through the battle, tossing any Grimm that came at her aside with her telekinesis. She levelled her crop at the cracked fissure. With her Semblance, she patched up the hole with the crumbled pieces of rubble, resealing the train and halting the relentless tide of Grimm, finally bringing the titanic battle to a close.

* * *

Torchwick was held between the escorting hands of Mercury and Emerald, who were taking far too much enjoyment in their job as they led him to the waiting AK-200s. The criminal's tone was sarcastic as he grumbled, "Oh, I can't believe that you caught me, you've really taught me the error of my ways." As the droids took a tight grip on his arm and led him into an awaiting Bullhead, he snapped sharply, "Hey-hey, watch the hat!"

Emerald and Mercury rejoined the main group as Roman was flown away. Ruby and Emerald traded smiles, as did the rest of the students and the teachers, with a solemn Glynda standing back as the sole exception. Everyone breathed an internal sigh of relief as the adrenaline of the battle finally came down and the crisis was completely averted.

* * *

Later, sitting on a ledge with their legs dangling over the side of the edge as they looked out over the city of Vale from Beacon's landing platform, Team RWBY gave an exhausted team sigh. Zwei panted at Ruby's side.

"Well, we did it," Yang said.

"We did it," Blake repeated, still not quite able to believe it."

Weiss frowned. "If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed."

"Weiss," Yang replied, " two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it."

Ruby agreed. "Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was."

"Well," the heiress replied, "not every story has a neat and tidy ending."

"We might not have all the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we could be proud of," Blake said with a tired smile.

"Yeah!" the leader agreed. "And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them."

Yang lay back, exhausted, and said without passion, "Yay, teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright, good job… So, what now?"

"I suggest training for the tournament, but I guess we have that covered at this point," Weiss said.

"So then…" Blake trailed off, waiting for someone to take initiative.

Ruby took it. "Uhh… time for bed?" the reaper suggested. The team had been awake since they had discovered Torchwick's base in Mountain Glenn in the early hours of the morning, and all were exhausted and tired.

"Please," said Yang.

"Absolutely," agreed Blake.

"Yes," Weiss replied.

"I'm going to sleep forever," Yang moaned as she and her team stood up and began the walk back to the dorms, Zwei trailing at their feet.

* * *

Ozpin gazed out over the broken city. Luckily, it seemed the damage had been focused on a small area, and the Grimm had been dealt with before it became to severe. It would take a few weeks, perhaps a month or two, but eventually, the city would completely return to normal. However, that didn't seem to matter to the ruling council, who were currently glaring at him via hologram transmission from his desk. "Ozpin? Ozpin!" one of the councilmen said, snapping him out of his thoughtful revere.

He sighed silently as he swiveled in his chair to look at the group of men. "Yes, Councilman?"

"You've left us with no choice," the man said. "The Vytal Festival Tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone _held, _if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens."

Ozpin sipped from his mug and listened as the councilman cleared his throat. "Therefore," he continued, "we have reached out to the Atlas Council and together have decided that the best action is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event."

The general, who had been present in a smaller corner of the screen during the conversation, enlarged as he replied, "Thank you, Councilman. Our Kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that the event runs as smoothly and safely as possible."

"And we thank you, General."

"Will that be all?" Beacon's headmaster asked.

The council returned their stern gaze to the white-haired man. "For now. But after this festival comes to a close, we are going to have a serious discussion about your position at Beacon Academy. General Ironwood's reports over the last few weeks have left us somewhat… concerned. I am sure you understand."

The feed of the council cut out, leaving Ironwood to stare solemnly at Ozpin through the screen in his flagship. "This is the right move, Ozpin. I promise, I will keep our people safe; you have to trust me." The general cut the call, leaving Ozpin to stare out at the large Atlesian Flagship hovering over his school in silent concern.

* * *

Within the white airship, the general turned and gazed long and hard at the tower, where he knew Ozpin was sitting in his office. He shook his his and sighed as he said, "You brought this on yourself."

Ironwood turned away from the window and walked, hands clasped behind him, to a nearby holding cell, where two guards stood on either side. The door slid open, and Ironwood regarded the cell's occupant coldly. "Leave us," he instructed the guards. Once they had gone, Ironwood slowly stated, "I've been informed that so far you've refused to cooperate with the authorities."

Roman grinned. His hat had been confiscated and placed in storage with his cane, leaving his orange hair to spread freely over his face. "I know this might be hard to believe, General, but, uh… I'm not the biggest fan of local law enforcement."

"How about the world's strongest military power?"

Roman gazed around his cell. "Hmm… first impressions… not great."

"I'm going to give you one chance," Ironwood offered. "Who's really behind all this?"

Roman's grin dropped and he leaned forward. "Isn't it obvious?" Ironwood leaned in, but scowled as the criminal adopted an easygoing smile and pose and raised his arms. "You're looking at him!"

"Hm, very well then," the general replied with a short chuckle as he walked away from the cell.

"What's the matter General?" Roman called with a smug smirk. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

"The council's given me custody over you for as long as I see fit. So you can make yourself comfortable. I can be sure that you'll have plenty of time to … talk."

"Oh, wonderful. Hehehe…" Roman chuckled as the cell door closed back up, locking him into his prison.

* * *

"All in all, I'd call today a success," Cinder said with a smile as she, Emerald, and Mercury stood overlooking the city on a high building later that morning.

"Those stupid kids really made a mess of things, Emerald pointed out with a grimace. The train hadn't been scheduled to arrive in Beacon for some time.

"Yeah," Mercury agreed. "A lot of Faunus didn't make it out of the tunnels. You still think the White Fang's gonna listen to us?"

"_No," _said a new, male voice from the side. Cinder and the teens turned to address the newcomer, who strode up to them with confidence, a serious expression on his face. His long, black trench coat came down to his waist, where matching pants ran down to his boots. A sheathed sword rested at his hip, and from the midst of his fiery red hair, a pair of bull horns protruded from his head.

Adam Taurus regarded the three humans with deadly emotion as he continued with measured passion, "But they'll listen to me."

* * *

Yang walked down the Beacon Academy courtyard. In the back of her mind, she realized she was dreaming, but that didn't hold her concern right now. She strode forward with steady steps as she eyed down a single figure – the armored and masked red warrior who had saved her on the train. Yang regarded the mystery woman with earnest confusion, sure she had seen the warrior somewhere before. "Who are you?"

The figure removed her mask and revealed a face that Yang had been chasing for years, similar to her own in shape and structure, with glimmering red eyes and raven black hair. Yang stared at her, awaiting an explanation.

"Yang." The woman spoke with a slight smile. "We have a lot to talk about."


	33. Round One

**Chapter One: Round One**

Ruby Rose looked down at the faded stone. It was later into the semester, and the weather was far more temperate than the last time she had visited her mother's gravesite. Her hood was pulled up over her ears, but she lowered it as she gazed down at the marker. She gave a small, sad smile at the stone as she began to have her conversation. She never just spoke. She talked with someone. They just didn't answer back.

"Hey, mom. Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been… well, things have been, pretty busy." She wasn't wrong. A couple of months ago, Team RWBY had managed to capture the notorious criminal, Roman Torchwick, after he had led a swarm of Grimm to attack the city of Vale. Not to long after, their headmaster, Professor Ozpin, had sent them on a stealth mission to stop a mad scientist named Dr. Merlot from genetically altering Grimm for his own purposes. Between the two adventures, the team of friends had been very busy recently. However, right now wasn't about her adventures; it was about family.

"Oh, Dad's here too!" she suddenly said. "He's uh, you know… Dad." She gave a small shrug. "He's still teaching at Signal. But he told me that he's going to be on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you." Her smile fell. "I miss you too."

She gave a slight pause before she continued in a small voice, "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. Keep her in line," she chuckled nervously. "That was a joke. She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad." Suddenly, she remembered about her other two teammates. "Oh, so are Weiss and Blake.

"Oh, they're my teammates! Together, we form Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion." She paused again. "Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some… let's just say, uh, _odd _teachers. Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys too! I guess it's like they say: 'like mother, like daughter!"

She gave a pondering look upwards at the golden twilight sky. "I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But, uh… I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow."

Behind her, a bark made her turn to see her adorable pet corgi, Zwei, standing at the feet of her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, at the treeline. "Oh! Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!" She pulled her hood back down and began to walk away. However, she turned back and softly said one last thing with a smile. "It was good to talk." With that, Ruby turned and made her way back to her father as, overhead, a flock of birds flew away towards the sun.

* * *

Amity Coliseum was packed to the brim as the spectators excitedly watched the first matchup of the Vytal Tournament. Down below, two teams, Team ABRN of Haven Academy in Mistral and Team RWBY of Vale's own academy, Beacon, battled it out in the arena for a chance at advancing to the second leg of the tournament as, up in the sportscasting booth, two of Beacon's own teachers animatedly narrated the battle for the millions watching across Remnant.

Professor Peter Port laughed as he said to the television, "Hello! It seems that we have another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

"_Doctor," _his fellow anchor, Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck, corrected sourly, before he brightened and continued, "And yes Peter, I think it's safe to say this match may be the closest we've seen of the four-on-four round of the tournament!"

"For those of you just now joining us," Port said, "welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament, broadcast live from the Amity Colosseum!" He raised his arm in a sweeping gesture at the vast stadium around him. Amity Colosseum had been constructed at the conclusion of the Great War over eighty years prior by the combined efforts of the four kingdoms as a symbol of unity and strength. The large, flying stadium hovered over Beacon Academy on enormous, spectacular gravity Dust crystals that protruded from the base. The arena in the middle of the stadium was similarly powered by Dust, able to shift to several different biomes and environment types, as well as able to divide into halved or quartered sections, each holding a particular biome.

The colosseum was built to serve as a mobile arena for the Vytal Festival Tournament, named as such for the island of Vytal, where the four kingdoms had reached peace at the war's end. The festival served as a safe and generally fun way for the young Huntsmen and Huntresses of the academies to test themselves and hone their skills every two years in a highly-competitive bracket system between teams.

The teachers in their booth proceeded to explain that bracket system. "If this is your first time watching," Port said, "allow us to break down the rules."

Oobleck held up his fingers correspondingly as he spoke, and a demonstrative hologram popped up behind him. "The tournament is divided into three distinctive rounds: teams, doubles, and singles. Age and school year are irrelevant! In this tournament, your only attribute being tested… is _skill."_

A hologram rose behind Port's head displaying similar information as he picked up, "Correct! The winners of this battle will elect two of their members to represent them in the doubles round, followed by the winners of _that _round choosing one member to advance once again. The _remaining _combatants will then fight their way through the final bracket in the hope of achieving victory for their kingdom!"

Oobleck pushed up his glasses as he said, "And yes, Peter, these certainly are some spectacular spectacles on which to spectate on! I don't think anyone tuning in around the world is going to disagree with me on that."

The tournament was currently being projected to the homes and screens of millions around the world, from high-class Atlas homes to Mistralian bars to the trailers of Vacuo, and the viewers eagerly watched as Port replied, "Ah, and why would they? Now, let's get back to the match between Team RWBY of Beacon and Team ABRN of Haven!" The opposing team was pronounced "auburn" as the screens switched back to the ongoing battle between the teenaged Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Blake was currently locked in an engagement with the leader of Team ABRN, Reese Chloris. The green-haired girl wore a hoodie and eye black as she came in on her weapon, a jagged-edged hoverboard, which she spun towards Blake. The Faunus girl blocked the projectile back at its sender, but Reese punched it right back. Blake blocked again, hoping to knock the board away, but Reese somehow called it back to herself, the hoverboard spinning back like a boomerang as she caught it. Blake rushed in right as the board landed in Reese's hands, and the two traded blows, both girls twirling and slashing their weapons.

Reese flipped away and landed on her skateboard, beginning to float quickly towards Blake. However, Blake gave a grin as she flipped backwards, leaving an ice shadow in her place. Reese was slowed as she crashed into the frozen statue, giving Blake an opening to slash upwards and sever the hoverboard in two.

Reese was unfazed, flipping with the motion as she grabbed the two severed halves by their handles and began to blast away with a new set of twin pistols. However, she was unable to regain her sense of balance and crashed down to the ground, landing on her bottom on the hard ice painfully. Blake winced sympathetically.

On the far side of the arena, in the volcano biome, Yang traded blows with the other female member of Team ABRN, Arslan Atlan. Yang came in with a crushing blow from above, which the mocha-skinned blond girl stumbled away from, avoiding the punch but thrown off balance. Yang wasted no time, coming in to pound the other girl, but Arslan recovered quickly, taking two punches before sweeping low with her legs and coming in with two of her own. She and Yang reared back at the same time, and their fists connected in a mighty shockwave that disturbed and cracked some nearby fractals of Dust. Each was driven back by the offsetting energy, but Yang was quickly on the attack again.

The boxer came in with a kick that Arslan nimbly dodged. Before Yang could withdraw her outstretched leg, the other girl whipped out a strong cord from within the sleeves of her yellow kimono that wrapped tightly around Yang's ankle. Arslan yanked the cord up and spun into a kick, sending Yang flying into the ice biome. Beacon's blonde got unsteadily to her feet on the ice, but she was quickly sat down again by Arslan's powerful follow-up punch.

Yang skidded to a stop a couple of meters away from the third member of Team ABRN, Nadir Shiko, who levelled his Dust assault rifle threateningly at Yang. Behind the boy, a sudden shot crashed into a nearby Dust ice crystal, and when the mist cleared, Nadir's legs were frozen solid in ice.

"Got your back!" Ruby called cheerfully from afar, looking up from Crescent Rose's scope.

"But who's got yours?" came the voice of Bolin Hori, the final member of ABRN, as he approached her from behind and twirled his bo staff. Ruby braced for an attack, but to the left of Bolin, a black gravity glyph suddenly materialized. Weiss Schnee came soaring in from the right and kicked Bolin through the glyph, the enhanced gravity causing him to bounce off of a nearby rock with a painful-sounding thud.

"My BFF!" Ruby answered with a happy smile at Weiss.

The heiress rolled her eyes. "No." She zipped off after Bolin.

Ruby turned away and gave a silent fist pump as she whispered, "_Yes!"_

Bolin rose slowly to his feet, aided by his staff. The hit had been a hard one, and the materializing Weiss Schnee who appeared in front of him on a snowflake glyph didn't help. Weiss glyphed to his back, slicing at him as she did, then twirled herself back over him, her strike blocked by his staff. Behind her Ruby ran forward with a mighty cry. Weiss summoned up a new glyph behind herself, and as Ruby stepped onto it, it launched the reaper up and over her friend to come down with a spinning attack on Bolin. The boy blocked the strike, and Ruby grimaced in frustration. She clicked her tigger, using the recoil both to drive Bolin back and to flip herself back to Weiss as the boy fell to his stomach.

She and Weiss both readied themselves as Bolin regained his footing and charged. Weiss summoned up a wave of ice spikes that she slashed at him with, but he ducked underneath the attack and ran past her, jumping high over Ruby as well. The reaper gave a surprised, "What?" as he leaped over her slice and sprinted to a nearby fire crystal. He chopped at the Dust with his staff and sent a shard spinning through the air to Reese, who caught the crystal and immediately fused it with her hovering skateboard.

Reese winked at Blake as she zoomed over to Nadir, still frozen, and melted him free with the fire Dust within the board, levelling the playing field. She reengaged Blake, flipping backwards and throwing the board forward in a move that sent Blake backwards through a large, towering ice crystal. The board landed in the ice, and Reese dashed forward to grab it again as she righted herself on it and came down on Blake.

The Faunus girl rolled quickly out of the way of the fiery attack as Reese came down where she had lain. She left a shadow behind that took the next hit as she launched her pistol forward into a nearby icy wall, slinging herself around a corner with her ribbon.

Reese followed behind on the board, rounding the corner and seeing Blake standing, motionless, with her back towards her. Smirking, the leader of Team ABRN rode forward and kicked her board into the other girl. Blake disappeared, and Reese realized too late that she had been tricked as a black ribbon suddenly spun out in front of her.

Blake watched as her gun's blade dug into the ice and yanked tight as Reese came hurtling into the ribbon, painfully catching her across the stomach. Blake quickly flew around the ice and finished her off with a kick that sent her flying off of the arena platform to the wall, where she contacted with a blue flash as a buzzer rang out before she fell to the ground.

Reese looked up in shock at the board as Professor Port said over the loudspeakers, "Oh, a double whammy! Reese Chloris is eliminated by ring out and Aura level!" On screen, Reese's Aura dipped below the required line and a large _X _flashed over her picture as she pounded the ground in frustration.

"Oh, she really should've worn a helmet!" Oobleck followed up.

Back up on the arena, the battle was now four versus three. Arslan spun herself along the ice with her cord, similar to Blake, as Yang followed close after, propelling herself forward with blasts from Ember Celica. Close by, Nadir once again prepared to open fire, this time on Weiss, but he was knocked down as the heiress sent Bolin tumbling into him with a gravity glyph. Weiss used another gravity glyph beneath the two to lift them into the air and slam them into each other. Dazed, they stumbled around as Weiss' face curled in intense concentration.

From below the two boys, a gigantic fist of ice sprung upward from a white glyph and gripped them both tightly, trapping them in a cold embrace. The boys shouted out in dizzy alarm as the fist dropped to the ground and began to roll away like a frozen boulder. Arslan looked over to the boulder and rolled her eyes at her teammates' apparent plight. She dashed into the path of the ball and prepped her stance as the boulder rolled closer. With a mighty punch, she split the icy prison into pieces, freeing her two teammates.

"Yang, _now!"_ Weiss cried as she turned to her teammate. With Myrtenaster, the heiress summoned up a large slide of ice. Yang fired off her gauntlets and launched herself to the slide, riding the ice as Blake hurled her weapon forward to Yang. the blonde caught the weapon as Blake sprinted alongside the slide, the ribbon stretched between them. Blake jumped up onto Ruby's shoulders, and the leader extended herself forward to give Blake a little extra momentum. The rest of Team ABRN looked up in surprise as Blake yanked her ribbon tight and slung Yang forward. The three were grouped close enough that a single punch from a screaming Yang launched all of them out of the arena, sounding the buzzer as they sank to the ground below.

Yang pumped her fist and quietly said, "Yes!"

"Yay!" Ruby cried in the background.

Over the loudspeakers, Port called out, "And that's the match! Team RWBY is victorious!"

The girls looked around in apparent surprise. "We… did it?" Weiss asked, not quite able to believe it.

Yang gave a happy nod, and Ruby jumped into the air with a cry of, "_We did iiiiit!"_

* * *

"Is anyone else starving?" Ruby groaned later as the team stood in the middle of the Beacon fairgrounds.

"I may have worked up an appetite," Blake said with a slight smile, hands behind her head. She suddenly looked embarrassed as a large growl escaped her stomach, causing the other girls to look at her.

"Gee," Weiss said, "if only there was somewhere on campus to get food around here." She looked around the fairgrounds and the myriad of tents and shops and continued sarcastically, "Oh, wait."

"It's okay, Weiss," Ruby said, placing an arm on the heiress' shoulder, "I forget about the fairgrounds, too."

"I was being facetious?" Weiss said, shaking off the arm.

Misunderstanding her friend, Ruby cried out, "Gah! Well if you were hungry, why didn't you say so?"

"Come on!" Yang said. "I know just the place."

The team followed after Yang on their way to the unnamed shop. Weiss stopped momentarily as her Scroll buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked to the caller ID. "_Father," _the screen read, and Weiss glared at her screen before rolling her eyes and declining the call. She put it back in her pocket and resumed following after her friends.

"Hey! Might be hard to eat without this!" a female voice called out behind the group, and Ruby turned to see a hand extended holding her wallet. Panicked, she patted at her pockets frantically, whimpering, "Oh, no, no, no!"

Emerald chuckled. "Good to see you, Ruby."

Ruby reached out and took the wallet back. "Oh, thanks, Emerald. Oh. Guess I dropped it. Girl pockets are the worst!"

"What's up, Em?" Yang asked brightly.

"Just left the stadium after your amazing fight!" the mint-haired girl responded. "You guys were awesome!"

Ruby bashfully muttered her thanks and other indecipherable words as Blake said, "I heard your team progressed to the next round too."

"You know, I feel that we haven't seen your other teammates," Weiss pointed out.

"How'd they do in the fight?" Yang asked. Emerald tilted her head in remembrance.

* * *

Emerald fired off her pistols as, nearby, Mercury followed suit with his gun boots. At their side, Cinder kicked another attacker away, and the boy landed with a pained grunt at the feet of another girl, dressed completely in black and white, with black pigtails. He looked up at her upside down, and she smiled down at him with her green eyes glittering. She blinked, and suddenly the eyes shifted, one turning pink and the other, brown. Her smirk turned sadistic as she raised a foot above the unfortunate boy's face with a powerful stomp.

* * *

"Really well," replied Emerald to Team RWBY.

"That's great!" Ruby said. "Uh, why don't we all go and get some victory food together?"

"Oh gosh, that's so nice of you, but my teammates are all kind of…" She trailed off as she looked over her shoulder, where Mercury was inspecting a pair of boots at a stand, sniffing at the soles. "...introverted," she finished. "_Really _socially awkward."

Team RWBY awkwardly looked over Emerald's shoulder as Yang nodded and said, "Ooh, yeah, I could see that."

"Oh yeah," Emerald agreed. Changing topics, she said, "Looks like Merc and I are going to move on to the doubles round. What about you guys?"

"Well as the leader of this team," Ruby piped up proudly, "I thought long and hard about this decision."

Weiss gave her a straight face as she said, "We put it to a vote."

Ruby tried stutteringly to save her comment. "Yes, ah, but I _decided _that we should put it to a vote."

"We voted for Weiss and Yang," Blake said, answering Emerald's question directly.

"I will happily represent Team RWBY," Weiss said with a small curtsey.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed, pounding her fists together, "we're going to kick some butt!"

Emerald gave an appreciative laugh. "Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on ya."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Yang agreed.

Emerald turned and began to walk back to Mercury as she called over her shoulder, "Alright, well, we're going to catch some more fights."

"Have fun!" Ruby said with a wave as the team moved on.

"See you later!" Emerald responded with her own cheerful wave. As she turned to Mercury, her chipper demeanor immediately dropped into a disdainful scowl.

He smirked at her. "So how are the new 'friends'?"

"I hate them," she said miserably.

He shrugged and replied, "Orders are orders."

"I just…" Emerald pounded her hands together angrily. "How can they be _so _happy _all _the _time?!" _

"Did you at least get what we want?"

"It's the heiress and the bimbo."

"Hmm, alright." He smiled as they began the hike back to the airships. "At least we know who we're working with."

* * *

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please," Yang said to the shopkeeper of the ramen shop they had stopped at. She had tried the place before the festival had officially started, and they served some fine noodles. A large bowl of ramen was immediately pushed in front of her.

"Ooh," Ruby said, ogling at her sister's mountain of food. "I'll take the same." An identical bowl was rolled out to her.

"Do you have anything with a low-salt—" Weiss began, before she too was served a large bowl of noodles. "Um… okay…"

Blake gave a silent nod with a smile to the man, and he returned the look as he whipped into the kitchen and emerged a moment later with a large bowl similar to the others. However, Blake immediately began to salivate as she saw the bowl of noodles had a covering of steaming fish.

While Blake continued to stare hungrily at her bowl, Weiss withdrew her SDC debit card and offered it to the man. "Aw, Weiss!" Yang said gratefully. "What's the occasion?"

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round." The heiress smiled, but it was quickly wiped off of her face as her card was flung back onto the table. The whole team stared in surprise as the shopkeeper pointed to his register, where the word _DECLINED _beeped across the screen. "What?" Weiss cried in confused shock. "How can my card be declined?" Blake nervously looked back and forth between the card and her bowl, slowly pulling the meal towards herself as Weiss mused, "I was barely into my monthly allowance!"

The shopkeeper quickly swiped away the food, causing Blake to collapse with a defeated whimper of, "No!"

"Maybe I could help?" came a familiar voice as RWBY looked to the side. Pyrrha, along with the rest of team JNPR, strode up to the ramen stand.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby cried out in joy.

"Aw, you don't have to…" Yang began.

"But she could!" Blake hastily interjected.

"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle," Pyrrha replied with a grin.

"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked.

* * *

Teams RWBY and JNPR all looked on in dazed satisfaction at the empty bowls before them. They had each eaten their fill, and everyone wore a full expression, some content, others holding their stomachs sickly.

The shopkeeper quickly gathered up the dishes as Ren asked Pyrrha, "Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight?"

"Of course!" she replied brightly. "It will give us energy!" Nora let out a gargantuan belch as Jaune drooped to the countertop with a groan.

"If I barf, I'm blaming you," the leader said, nauseous and bloated.

"Ooh!" Nora exclaimed excitedly. "Aim at the enemy!"

"Nora, that's disgusting!" Ren chastised, before following up with, "But, if you feel the urge…"

"Got it," Jaune said with a weak thumbs-up.

"Well, we should be off!" Pyrrha said as she stood from her stool.

"So, you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked the other team.

Nora answered energetically, "Of course! We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me…" she trailed off, not sure what to say for their leader. "Jaune," she said sheepishly. "We trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune!" she finished brightly.

"Are you gonna take that?" Ren asked his slumped over friend.

Still feeling sick, Jaune didn't even look up as he moaned, "She's not wrong."

"I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding." She began to talk more quickly, and she

became noticeably more nervous as she went on. "Don't be so nervous! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!" She finished off with a bout of slightly insane laughter that morphed into a sob as she joined her leader slumped on the counter.

For his part, Ren gave a small smile and said, "So, yeah, we're feeling pretty good."

"Don't fret," Pyrrha said with a reassuring hand on her pink friend's shoulder. "If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines and not, well… murderers."

"Yeah, don't sweat it," Yang agreed. "We've all faced way worse before."

Blake ticked the list off on her fingers as she said, "Let's see: Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath…"

"And that's all while we were still in training!" Ruby said excitedly. "Oh, imagine what it would be like to graduate!"

"Maybe _then _I'll be able to pay for a meal," Weiss grumbled to herself.

Loudly crackling over the speakers scattered around the fairgrounds, Professor Port's voice rang out as he called, "Would Team JNPR _please _report to the battlegrounds immediately!"

"Yes!" came the angry voice of Oobleck after him. "Like they were scheduled to, _several minutes _ago!"

"Well, it looks like this is it," Pyrrha said as JNPR stood and began to heavily make their way to the airship.

"Go get 'em!" Ruby cried after them.

* * *

As Team RWBY entered Amity Colosseum a few minutes later, they turned the corner and made their way to their seats, never noticing the other pair of students on the other side of the tunnel that turned to their own seats. Emerald and Mercury made their way to their own seats by Cinder, while, out on the battlefield, the plain white floor had replaced the volcanos and icicles of Team RWBY's earlier match, awaiting the randomization process.

Mercury sat down, a large bowl of popcorn in hand, and mumbled through a mouthful of the salty snack, "I wonder who's gonna win?"

Emerald scoffed and rolled her eyes. "As if we didn't already know."

"Oh, come now," came the silky smooth voice of Cinder form behind them. Their mentor had traded out her typical red dress for a new pair of jeans, with a wrapping of sarashi bandages across her upper torso that was covered by an orange jacket. She had adopted the new look as a way to blend in for the tournament, and she reached into Mercury's popcorn bucket for an unpopped kernel. "Even if you know how the story ends, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch." Her fingertips and eyes glowed as the kernel popped in her hand.

"Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ of Shade!" Port was announcing over the speakers. The opposing team was pronounced "bronze," and the spectators cheered as the two teams strode out to the battlefield. Around the students, the randomizers began to spin, each coming to a stop on a certain biome. One half of the arena rose up into a forest, while the other half became a rocky mountain.

Ruby cheered JNPR on from her seat, and Jaune narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Crocea Mors as Port announced, "Three, two, one, begin!"

The two teams leaped at each other, preparing to engage in their first battles of the Vytal Festival, as the crowds cheered them on with vigor.


	34. New Challengers

**Chapter Two: New Challengers**

As Port counted down, Jaune turned to his team and shouted out, "Come on, guys!" as he raised his sword. The team rushed forward towards BRNZ, who were adopting a slightly different strategy. One member of their team, May Zedong, had begun to run the opposite way, heading for thee trees behind them. Her sniper rifle made evident her intentions as her teammates rushed forward.

Brawnz Ni, the leader of the enemy team, attacked first, coming in with a hard knee to Pyrrha's shield that forced her back a step. He came in with a vicious, clawed pair of brass knuckles, engaging her along the blade of Miló, which she then swung to create some distance between them. Ren and Nora double-teamed Nolan Porfirio, the third member of the team, with the boy dodging under Magnhild's wide swing.

At the treeline, May had swung herself up into the branches and readied her sniper rifle, opening fire on Ren as he prepared to dash forward. A rock behind Ren crumbled a bit, indicating a near miss that had whizzed by his head. Jaune was currently engaged with the final member of BRNZ, Roy Stallion, who was punching away at Crocea Mors' shield with his weapon, a pair of buzzsaw gloves. A shot from May zipped past Jaune's ear, and he cried out, "Retreat!" as he picked up on the glint of the gun barrel amidst the leaves.

Team JNPR fell back, Jaune and Pyrrha providing cover with Crocea Mors and Akoúo̱ respectively as Ren and Nora jumped over a large wall of rocks for cover.

"What do we do?" Pyrrha asked Jaune as the Dust rounds whizzed overhead.

Jaune peered over the rocks and watched as the rest of Team BRNZ rushed in for a renewed attack. "Spread out!" he shouted. "Try to keep moving!" His order ended as Brawnz came in to punch the shield, the rest of JNPR quickly moving to obey.

May held her fire as her team engaged the Beacon team, watching through her scope as Brawnz switched over to Pyrrha, trading blows back and forth. Ren slid to the side, right into the path of Nolan, who approached with his weapon, a type of electric cattle prod, in hand. Ren dodged as a shot from May exploded at his feet. He began to jump to avoid the sniper's onslaught, but he was unprepared as Nolan whacked him across the face with the handle of his weapon. Ren spun with the blow and let out a spinning kick. Nolan ducked the leg and used the opening to strike Ren's grounded leg, then jolted him with a stab from the prod. Ren was shot backwards from the painful charge, landing sprawled at Nora's feet as she shouted his name in alarm.

Nora came in to defend her fallen friend, coming in with another swing that Nolan once again dodged, stabbing into Nora's torso with his sparkling weapon. However, instead of collapsing, Nora gave him an evil grin as Professor Port spoke up over the speakers.

"Oh-ho! Looks like one of my favorite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up to use her Semblance!"

"What?" said Nolan in surprise, the cattle prod still buzzing at Nora's stomach.

"Yes," Oobleck followed up rapidly, "Ms. Valkyrie's Semblance lets her produce, as well as channel, electrical energy straight to her muscles! This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or in this case, absorb Nolan's attacks and send the young man flying!"

"What?!" Nolan cried again, turning back to Nora as she grinned and flexed, her arms buzzing with electricity. Nolan backed away slowly, hands raised, but Nora would take none of it as she came in with a mighty thrust from the hammer in her hands, sending Nolan flying across the arena into a large rock on the treeline of the forest biome, where he stopped and took a moment to rise.

Above the mountains on JNPR's side of the arena, a dark storm cloud had begun to form. Jaune took note of this and looked over to Nora, still buzzing with electrified energy. "Nora! Get to the mountain!"

"You got it!" the girl cried with a salute, before she zipped off similar to Ruby due to the electricity-enhanced speed.

"Ren, try and distract the sniper!" Jaune cried to his green friend.

By Ren, another shot hit the ground past his head, and he slumped as he sarcastically muttered, "Sure, why not."

Nora began her rapid ascension of the mountain as the rest of her team reengaged BRNZ. Roy hurled the saws from his gloves at Jaune, and the leader managed to block the jagged disks, though his own shield bounced back and hit him in the face as they whizzed back to their owner. Pyrrha blocked with Akoúo̱ as Roy came in with several spinning blows to her shield, as Jaune shook off his dizziness and charged back into the battle.

From the sidelines, Team RWBY enthusiastically cheered their friends on. "Yeah, go get 'em, Jaune!" Ruby cried.

"Well, he's certainly improved," Weiss mused.

"Yeah," Yang agreed, "but he ain't got nothing on Pyrrha." The blonde was proved correct as on the arena, Pyrrha took on both Brawnz and Roy simultaneously, dodging the spinning saws from Roy as she swung back and forth between him and his leader. To the side, Ren dashed forward, dodging left and right to avoid the sniper spray laid down by May as he slid beneath Pyrrha to go after Nolan, who had just recovered from Nora's electrical blow.

Ren came in blades swinging and guns blasting, slicing left and right at Nolan before he kicked his opponent in the sides. Using the curved blades of Storm Flower, Ren grabbed Nolan's cattle prod from his fingers and held it against his neck, using the other boy as a human shield against the relentless barrage of sniper fire from May.

Her target obstructed, May shifted her aim to the bubbly girl currently scaling the mountain on the other side of the arena. Ren took note of this and cried out, "Nora!"

Jaune looked back as Brawnz pressed against his sword and watched as the girl climbed to the top, her rise slowing as she neared the peak. Seeing the sniper's aim, he shouted, "Pyrrha, up!"

Pyrrha sprinted to her leader's side, blocking Roy's spinning saws and sliding under his feet before leaping over Brawnz and landing on Jaune's shield. The blond leader thrust her upward, sending her into May's line of fire right as the sniper shot for Nora. The Dust round pinged off of Pyrrha's shield, sending her backwards as Nora finally reached the top of the mountain and hoisted Magnhild high, absorbing the lightning bolts that zapped outwards from the clouds.

Pyrrha looked up as Nora transformed her weapon into its grenade launching form and fired a six shot attack that screamed across the sky towards May. The sniper gave a frightened gasp as the heart-shaped bombardment bore down on her location, prompting her to jump to a different tree as the grenades exploded into her current perch.

Smoke from the obliterated trees obstructed May's aim and stung her throat as she coughed, forcing her to the ground. Her teammates watched as she jumped down, but then turned as one as they heard an approaching shout from behind them. Nora, by this point supercharged by all of the electricity, came flying off of the mountaintop with a crushing blow that knocked Brawnz, Nolan, and Roy back to the feet of May, who was still coughing from the smoke.

Taking in their battered foes, Jaune felt a smile spread across his face as he pointed forward with his sword and cried out, "This is it, guys! Let's finish 'em with team attacks! Ren, Nora, Flower Power!"

"Wait, what?" came the confused voice of Nora from behind him, shaking him from his battle-fueled adrenaline rush.

"F-Flower Power!" he repeated to his team. At their lost faces and shrugs, he explained, "That's your team attack name!"

Appearing befuddled, Ren asked, "Since when?"

"Guys, we've been over this!" their leader pleaded. The other team slowly rose to their feet, eyeing the exchange incredulously as Jaune said, "Flower Power is Ren and Nora! Ren brings the flower, Nora brings the power!"

"How do I bring a flower?" Ren asked, scratching his head.

"No, silly, not _a _flower, _flour! _Like in baking!" Nora chipperly explained.

"Why would I bring that?"

"I– uh, no! It's your symbol!" Jaune tried to cut in.

"Sooo, what are we?" Pyrrha asked.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune complained.

"Sorry!" she said defensively. "I just want to make sure it's clearly defined."

Team BRNZ continued to look on in confusion as Jaune once again elaborated, "Pyrrha, you and I are Arkos. It's that thing, when we take our shields? Remember?"

"'_Arkos?'" _she repeated, testing the name.

"Yeah! It's our names put together."

"Right, no, I get it…"

"What, do you not like it?"

"No, no!" she reassured him. "It's… good?"

"Mmm, I sensed hesitation!" Nora said.

From behind the discussing team, Brawnz shouted out, "Hey!" JNPR looked back at him suddenly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to have a team meeting, thank you very little!" Jaune said impatiently.

"Yeah!" Nora said. She pointed to her ears and followed up, "Team ears only!"

Brawnz looked to his own team, who all stared at him with expressions of equal confusion. "We're in the middle of a fight!" he shouted again.

Jaune whirled on him and shouted back, "_And we're in the middle of a conversation! What don't you get about that?!"_

"Um, Jaune?" Pyrrha said tentatively.

He sighed. "Yes, Pyrrha?"

"I think he means that we're _all _in the middle of a fight," she said, gesturing to the loud crowds around them that impatiently awaited the fight's conclusion.

Jaune looked around and sighed again, bringing his sword hand exasperatedly to his head. "Nora, just… hit 'em with the hammer."

Needing no further directive, the orange-haired girl gave an evil smirk. "Got it."

Suddenly apprehensive, Brawnz put up his hands and said, "Wait, what?"

Nora leaped over to BRNZ, planted her feet and gave a long, sweeping swing that sent all four of the other fighters flying with a collective scream into the barrier out of the arena.

"And with that, it appears Team JNPR wins by knockout!" Port said as the buzzer sounded. "Literally! ...Can someone go make sure they're okay?"

* * *

In downtown Vale, many bars were currently broadcasting the match's conclusion live as it occurred, displaying the smiling Team JNPR on the screen. In one such establishment, the "_Crow Bar,"_ a stranger with feathery black hair stared down at the ice cubes in his shot glass, a tattered red cape flowing down behind his back. The bartender stood behind the counter and absentmindedly polished a glass in his hand as he looked up at the screen.

"Huh, those kids weren't half bad!" the bartender said. The stranger, the only patron currently in the bar, merely gave a low "Meh" as his opinion on the match and took another swig of his drink.

* * *

On screens across Remnant, the symbol of the tournament flashed across the screen and then revealed the two teachers behind their announcing booth. "Ah, well, Vacuo fans are sure to be hurting after that one," Oobleck said, "but this next one will have them on the edge of their seats."

Port agreed as a picture of the next team up for the team matches flashed up behind him. "Team NDGO of Shade is certainly a crowd favorite," he said, the team pronounced 'indigo,' "but these lovely ladies are going against some of the toughest, testosterone-filled teammates we've seen so far! Of course, I'm talking about… Team SSSN!"

Fans amidst the crowd held up signs of the boys' faces decorated with hearts as the team strode confidently out onto the arena and Port continued, "Sun Wukong and his team are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and although he'll be representing the Mistral Academy of Haven, I'm sure his friends and family back in Vacuo will be cheering him along!"

Weiss looked out at the group of boys readying themselves for battle and called out to one in particular, "Good luck, Neptune!"

Neptune was busy waving to his adoring fans, when suddenly, the entirety of Team NDGO caught his eye. The four girls, Nebula Violette, Dew Gayl, Gwen Darcy, and Octavia Ember, were all looking particularly pretty, and Neptune took an admiring gaze at them. With an appreciative point, he adopted his typical suave voice and said, "Ladies."

Seeing this, Weiss' hands shook and she pointed to the arena, shouting with the noise of the crowd, "Break his stupid face, NDGO!"

On the battlefield, Neptune grinned and motioned as he said, "Alright, girls, try and remember: hands _above _the waist."

Sun apologized for Neptune, grabbing his friend's arm as he said, "Ignore him, for he… yeah, he's dumb."

Neptune tossed the girls a wink, and they rolled their eyes in disgust. The randomizers began their spin, one stopping on a desert-type biome with windswept sands and rocky terrain. A large orb of energy, representing the sun, appeared overhead as the biome rose up on NDGO's side.

Nebula, the team leader, laughed as she cried out, "Alright! Home field advantage!"

"Don't get too cocky!" Sun called to the confident girls. "That's my turf, too!"

Seeing the sandy desert before him, Sun's teammate Scarlet David glanced down to his boots and said, "I hope I don't get sand in my shoes."

"Be cool, man," Neptune whispered.

"Hey! The ocean!" Dew said as she noticed the second randomizer spinning to a stop.

"Huh?" Neptune said, turning and watching as behind them, a wide expanse of water dotted in sandy islands and marked by a large, wooden shipwreck rose to the arena. Neptune let out a slight whimper as his eyes widened in fear.

In the stands, Ruby took in the blue-haired boy's sudden tenseness and asked, "Uh, what's wrong with Neptune?"

"Oh, no…" Blake said, a hand to her face. Yang looked over to her for explanation. "Neptune's… afraid of the water," Blake explained, to Yang's apparent surprise.

Over the speakers, Oobleck announced the start of the battle. "Three, two, one, begin!"

No sooner had the final word escaped the doctor's lips than Neptune had raced past his surprised team and NDGO and hastily scaled the mountain to quickly put as much space between himself and the water as possible.

"Neptune!" Cried Sage Ayana, the fourth member of Sun's team. "What are you doing?!"

"Oh, you know, just gaining the higher ground!" the hydrophobic boy called back from his high perch.

"On the enemy's side?!" Sun shouted up incredulously. To the side, Scarlet ditched his small, red cape, his cutlass and flintlock pistol in hand. Sage withdrew his large broadsword from his back.

"They would never expect it!"

Dew turned to her team. "He's not wrong," she said with a shrug.

"Open fire!" Nebula shouted to her girls, and the two teams engaged as the bout began. Scarlet rushed forward to take on Octavia while Sage went after Dew. Octavia slid beneath Scarlet's cutlass and continued to glide away over the sand, while Dew faced down Sage's broadsword with her spear. Sage hefted the mighty blade overhead, but Dew twirled her spear as he slashed downward, causing them both to slide backwards from the offsetting force.

Dew smiled sinisterly and began to gently twirl her spear as Sage regained his footing, using her Semblance to whip up several small tornadoes in the sandy dust of the desert. The tornadoes quickly grew in size, battering Sage around, before they converged into one, large dust devil that flung a screaming Sage straight out of the arena, making the match a four on three. "And NDGO gains the advantage!" Oobleck said excitedly as Sage's picture was crossed out.

Octavia glided to a stop in front of Sun and Scarlet. She swung her sword and whipped up a cloud of sand with a burst of fire Dust. Scarlet stumbled, blinded, while Sun leaped away from the cloud and shouted up at his thus-far useless friend. "Neptune!"

Neptune, finally joining in on the fight, jumped down from the mountain peak and cocked his gun in readiness. Octavia attempted to use the same sandy tactic against him, but he grinned as he lowered his goggles protectively over his eyes and opened fire, causing her to block with her blade. From the artificial orb above, Sun leaped out of the blinding light on the offensive with a hard kick to Octavia's jaw.

Octavia stumbled backwards from the kick, but whirled furiously on Sun with a slash from her Dust sword. However, Sun caught the blade on his bo staff, then went to town, landing small, precise strikes all over her body, battering her senseless and wearing down her Aura until he thrust forward and knocked her to her back. Octavia's Aura level shifted below the line as the buzzer sounded, and Port cried, "Oh! And we're down to a three on three!"

Over the battlefield, Scarlet and Neptune were locked in their own engagements with the other three ladies. Dew used her Semblance to once again whip up a dust tornado, sweeping Scarlet off of his feet. The boy cried out in alarm, managing to somehow right himself in the air as he soared towards the wrecked pirate ship in the island biome, while Gwen and Nebula followed close behind on the ground.

Scarlet managed to catch himself on the mast of the ship, balancing precariously on the wooden beam. Nebula fired her weapon, a compact crossbow, launching an arrow at the mast. She jumped forward and bounced up from the arrow, coming to rest in front of Scarlet, where she grinned as her crossbow morphed into a long sword.

Nebula and Scarlet engaged in a slashing, mast rounding duel with the sound of ringing metal heavy in the air, each slicing and stabbing at the other. After a short bout, Scarlet managed to grab Nebula's sword by the hilt and swung for her leg, causing her to lift up and dodge. He twisted his aim for her torso, knocking her off-balance form to the sand below.

Down at sea level, Gwen was twirling in the air, throwing several small Dust knives towards Sun as Dew harassed him with a waterspout. Grinning, Scarlet fired off his pistol's handle, the base of the stock stretching downward like a hook as it grabbed onto Gwen's outstretched leg. "Gotcha!" Scarlet cried as he jumped down, his body weight hauling hers up, leaving her trapped by her ankle in the air. From her skirt, knives began to fall as she desperately reached for them, and Scarlet's eyes widened in fear as he stayed stock-still. The knives barely missed him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Across the ocean biome, Dew jumped threateningly towards Sun, who was waiting beneath a coconut tree. He pounded the trunk with his hand, causing two of the hard fruits to fall right into his hands. He hurled them at Dew, but she gave a batter's swing and used her Dust to send them right back at him as flaming orbs. Sun twisted out of the way, but Scarlet was not so fortunate as the fiery coconuts bore down on him, the first hitting him head on, while the second made contact right below the belt. Scarlet froze, a small whimper escaping his mouth, as his Aura levels immediately dropped and the buzzer sounded. Sun sighed. "Nuts."

Dew grinned as she pressed her advantage, summoning up fresh waterspouts to chase after the monkey Faunus. "Uh, Neptune?!" Sun cried as he flipped away from the deadly tornadoes. "Could use some help, buddy!"

Neptune was full of excuses from the safety of the desert as he called back, "Uh, you know, uhh, it would probably be better if _you _came over _here! _Yeah, I can guard this… sector! We're in lockdown mode!"

Behind Sun, Nebula took aim with her crossbow and shot down the suspended Gwen. "What are you talking about? There's nothing to lock down!" Sun cried with exasperation.

"Lockdown! Right, you got it!" Neptune replied cheerfully.

From behind Sun, Dew came in with a crushing blow from her spear, which he barely dodged. "Dude, I know you're afraid of water, but you gotta–" Sun was cut off as Dew leaped forward again, this time being blasted backwards by a blue bolt from Neptune's weapon.

"There! I helped! Are you happy now?" Neptune shouted indignantly. After a slight pause, he followed up with, "Also, _I _am not afraid of water, and I have no idea what _you _are talking about!"

Behind Sun, the girls regrouped in the water, each adopting a fighting stance as Sun cried out in frustrated fury, "_Neptune!"_

"Okay, fine!" the blue-haired boy shouted back. "Just get out of the water." Sun complied as Neptune joined him on the shoreline, the closest he had been to the water since the battle had begun. Neptune twirled his weapon into its electric trident form, then, he tiptoed forward to the water's edge and thrust it in, the head glowing with energy. The electrical current zipped through the water, zapping all three girls simultaneously as they let out electrified, jittery cries and spasmed, settling in smoking heaps in the water as the buzzer sounded for all three.

Sun and Neptune chest-bumped as Port said, "And with that, Team SSSN moves on to the doubles round!" He turned to his co-host. "You know what I call that victory?"

"Shocking?" Oobleck offered.

"No, _well earned," _Port replied, adding, "What you said is stupid," much to Oobleck's disappointment as the doctor frowned.

* * *

Back at the "_Crow Bar,"_ the bartender whistled in appreciation at the conclusion of the battle between SSSN and NDGO. "Now that was a match."

The stranger in the cape chuckled drunkenly. "Heh, that was a mess!" he said with a slight slur.

"Come on, man! You didn't like them, the Vale kids, or any of the rounds before that?" the bartender demanded. "What fight are you here for?"

The stranger looked over his shoulder, out over the ocean on the border of Vale, where a shining white ship of the Atlesian Air Fleet flew majestically towards Beacon, ribbons trailing behind the tips of its wings. "That one." He downed the rest of his drink in one swallow and stood, the sudden rise dizzying him momentarily with another chuckle as he slammed down his glass and threw a few Lien down on the counter. "Happy Vytal Festival!" he called after himself as he sauntered unsteadily out into the late afternoon sunlight.

The bartender watched the stranger disappear, setting his current glass aside to pick up the spent one and polish it. However, his stray arm knocked over the freshly-polished glass, where it shattered on the floor below. He looked sadly down at the broken glass and sighed. "Aw, gee darn it!"

* * *

**The boys goofily danced on the arena, celebrating their victory, as Team RWBY watched from the stands. Ruby gave a relieved bfbbbsigh as she leaned back. "Aw, that was so close!"**

"Looks like the dorks made it to the next round!" Yang agreed.

Blake looked out to the horrendous dancing of Sun and Neptune below. Sun caught her eye and gave her a double-gun gesture and winked, causing her to blush with a small smile. "Emphasis on 'dork.'"

Over the sound systems Oobleck called out quickly, "That concludes the matches for today. Please leave the Colosseum _in a calm and orderly fashion!" _The last words were shouted, causing the team to flinch back.

"Come on, let's go congratulate them," Yang said.

However, Weiss' gaze was caught by another sight as she began to walk to the exits. Overhead, a large, white ship glided smoothly through the air, ribbons trailing regally behind its wings. She came to a stop as Ruby bumped into her from behind.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Ruby asked, following Weiss' gaze upwards.

Weiss looked up at the ship, recognition and emotion breaking like a wave over her expression as her face melted into a rare smile and she said in a small, happy voice, "She's here!"


	35. It's Brawl in the Family

**Chapter Three: It's Brawl in the Family**

Ruby huffed and puffed as she chased after Weiss, who was running away from the school. They had landed mere moments ago, and Weiss had sprinted off with unusual enthusiasm as soon as their ship touched down. "Weiss!" she cried out. "What is the big deal? Who is _she?" _

Weiss looked before them, where the object of her attention was currently stepping down from her intricate ship, escorted by human soldiers as well as Atlesian Knights. "Winter," Weiss replied softly with a smile, watching as the older woman turned to inspect the droids as they followed her down the lowered exit ramp.

"Wait, your sister?" Ruby asked.

"Winter!" Weiss called out, hands at her mouth. Her older sister turned to face them at the cry as the two girls ran up to meet her. Having joined the military straight out of school in Atlas, Winter Schnee was garbed in regal uniform, a white coat buttoned at the waist, the sleeves of which opened up from shoulder to elbow to display her skin and collar connected in a red brooch at the neck. Beneath the coat, she wore a buttoned-up, dark blue shirt, which met a long pair of white pants at her waist. Long, gray boots ran up to her mid-thigh and down to her legs, where they ended in a pair of high heels. As for her physical appearance, Winter's hair matched Weiss' in terms of its nearly pure white color, tied in a bun behind her head to the left that allowed her bangs to fall towards the right of her face, save for a small curl by her left ear, and she was nearly as tall as the Atlesian Knights behind her.

"Winter, I'm so happy to see you!" Weiss began excitedly, before remembering who she was talking to and collecting herself with an, "Oh." She said with a curtsey in a much calmer voice, "Your presence honors us."

Winter's black-gloved hands were held behind her back as she walked towards the teammates, and she gazed around at the school grounds as she said with slight disdain, "Beacon… It's been a long time. The air feels… different."

"I mean it is fall, so, eh, it's probably colder," Ruby suggested quietly at Weiss' side.

Weiss looked to her teammate and gave her a punch on the shoulder that told her to zip it, before she turned back to her sister. "So, what are you doing here?"

As Ruby groaned from the punch, Winter cooly replied, "Classified."

"Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?"

"_Classified."_

"Of course," Weiss accepted with a nod. She had long ago learned to adapt to her sister's slightly more formal and strict ways after she had joined the military.

Ruby merely gazed on with apprehensive silence as she eyed the two siblings awkwardly. This was never how things were between herself and Yang, and it was odd to see one sister acting so coldly to the other. "Well, this is nice… I think…" She finally said.

Unable to contain herself any further, Weiss suddenly burst out, "You're going to love it here!" She gestured excitedly with her hands as she went on, "I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale, too," she added as a quieter side note, before bustling forward, "The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it? I–"

"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its… _bureaucracy," _Winter interjected into Weiss' chatter with distaste. "That is not why I came."

"Right!" Weiss said, the rebuke stinging a bit. "I'm sorry."

"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter.""

Weiss looked up at her older sister in befuddlement, hurt and confused by the statement. "But, we won!"

"Only a novice would refer to _that _as a victory," Winter corrected. "I counted at least _three _strikes missed." She turned to her robotic guard behind her as Weiss bowed her head in slight shame. "Leave us," Winter instructed the AK-200s, and the androids obeyed, stepping back to allow the sisters a more private conversation. Winter sighed and smiled for the first time since the conversation had begun. "How have you been?"

Pleased that her sister seemed to have warmed, Weiss replied, "Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm–"

This time, it was an actual slap that stung the heiress as she recoiled from Winter's sudden strike. "Silence, you boob!" Winter reproached sharply. "I don't recall asking about your _ranking, _I'm asking about how you've _been." _Weiss rubbed at her head, where a lump was beginning to rise, as Winter demanded, "Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making any new friends?"

"Well, there's Ruby," Weiss offered gesturing to her leader, who gave a small giggle as she pushed the lump on Weiss' head back down with a "Boop."

Winter gave a short frown as she said, "I see. So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately… underwhelming."

Not understanding in the slightest what had been said of her, Ruby replied, "Uh… thank you!"

"Greetings, Ruby Rose," Winter said politely. "I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

Trying to be fancy, Ruby stumbled over her words as she replied," Oh! Uh, yes, of course!" She gave a small salute as she bowed in a curtsey. "The honor is in my… court!" The reaper waved her arms as she lost balance in her awkward stance momentarily, regaining herself with a sheepish chuckle. Winter gave a disapproving scowl at the leader's antics

Returning her attention to her sister, Winter said, "I have business with the general and your Headmaster. But, seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?"

"Really?" Weiss said hopefully.

"Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards."

"Of course," Weiss agreed, happy for her sister's company as they began the walk down the courtyard to the dorms, the metallic footsteps of the Atlesian Knights thudding after them. "Just so you're aware, the bunk beds only _look _unstable," she reassured her sister beforehand.

Winter gave her an incredulous squint as she repeated, "_Bunk… beds?"_

Behind them, Ruby called afterwards as she watched them go, "I'll catch up– I mean, I will… reconvene with you both, at a later…" she trailed off, desperately thinking of a word, before she blurted out happily, "Juncture!" She slid away to the side, murmuring to herself, "At a juncture. Yeah."

* * *

A few moments later, Weiss and Winter were walking down the courtyard, approaching the main structure of Beacon Academy, when from behind them came a sizzling sound and noise like clanging metal. The Schnee sisters turned together with their robot guard and watched as the white head of a decapitated AK-200 landed with a clatter at their feet and a gruff voice called out, "Hey!"

They looked up and took in the assailant of the now-dismembered droid. A man stood facing them down across the courtyard, still holding the headless body of the inactive robot in his hand ashe stared directly at them both. He was definitely older than Winter, with a messy mop of feathery black hair and crimson eyes. A small necklace with a cross dangled from his neck, and his simple outfit consisted of a white coat considerably more faded than Winter's, with a wrinkled gray dress shirt, collar folded down, and black dress pants and shoes beneath. A slight stubble shadowed his chin and sideburns, and he wore cheap rings on several of his fingers. His last defining detail was a tattered red cape around his neck that trailed down to his lower back.

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Ice Queen!" the man said again, slurring slightly as he tossed the inactive torso to the side.

Perceiving a possible threat, the AK-200s behind Winter stepped forward and raised their rifles, but Winter sent the back with a loud, "Halt!" Her eyes narrowed as she took in this sudden appearance, a slight sense of familiarity creeping into her stance and tone.

Heedless of this, Weiss stalked forward to confront the unkempt offender. "Excuse me!" she said indignantly as she approached him. She stopped before him with a scowl, nose wrinkling at the sudden strong stench of alcohol on his clothes and breath. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" she demanded of him.

The stranger didn't even budge, placing a hand directly on the heiress' face as he slurred out, "Sssssshh. Not you." He pushed past her, heedless of her offended "Hey!" as he stepped forward to coldly regard the elder Schnee, who eyed him warily from the distance between them. "_You."_

Overhead, a raven crowed and soared over the courtyard as the tipsy man said, "Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here, too."

"I'm standing right before you," Winter said shortly.

The man squinted, as if trying to be sure. "So it would seem."

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property," Winter said testily.

Looking down at the fallen bodies at his feet, fingers still twitching slightly, the stranger raised his hands sarcastically and said, "Oh, oh, I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of… _sentient _garbage."

"I don't have time for your immature games, _Qrow,"_ Winter said, affirming that she did, in fact, know him somehow. This startled Weiss, who had rejoined her sister on the opposite side of the staredown.

"Wait, you two know each other?"

The man called Qrow shook his head. "Sheesh, you Atlas Specialists think you're _so _special, don't you."

"It's in the title," Winter pointed out.

"Well, you know what you really are? A bunch of _sellouts." _He sneered at her. "Just like your boss."

Winter glared at the intoxicated Qrow. "I'm not sure what you _think _you're implying, but I've heard enough."

"Oh, I heard too! I hear ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin," Qrow said bitterly.

"Ozpin?" Weiss said in confusion.

With a small shove to her sister's shoulder, Winter ordered, "Weiss, it's time for you to go," her eyes never leaving Qrow.

"What–" Weiss began, more confused than ever, before Qrow cut her off.

"Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you, just like _Atlas _is gonna protect all of us, eh?"

Winter's glaring eyes narrowed. "If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!" she challenged, drawing her weapon, an elegant silver sword, from her hip. The action drew _oohs _and _aahs _from the small crowd that had formed around the two adults. The students were mostly wide-eyed as they watched the exchange unfold, and Qrow wore a confident smile as he pushed back his loose hair and looked up at the militant Schnee.

"Alright, then. Come take it," he grinned back at her.

In a flash, Winter was in front of him, stabbing for his head. He taunted her with his cocky smirk as he dodged left, then right. She swung high, and he ducked right, dodging two more stabs before he gave a theatrical bow, and she brought her sword down on his back. The weapon _clanged _off of another, and Qrow spun and tossed his own weapon, a massive sword with a hilt of movable gears, and caught it in the air, levelling it at her with a grin. Sensing a legitimate fight, Winter adopted an _en garde _stance, their weapon's slightly touching at the tips with small ringing sounds, before Qrow struck and officially started the battle.

Qrow opened up with a downward strike to her sword, then followed up with several rapid slashes. Winter caught the opening strike, then proceeded to dodge the following attacks with multiple back handsprings away from the weapon, before she stopped mid-flip and came back in with a block. Qrow and Winter spun and dashed around each other, trading blows in the large circle of spectators that had opened up in the middle of the courtyard, while Weiss watched worriedly from the sidelines. Behind her, Ruby approached, having heard word of a battle beginning to unfold on the long walkway to the academy. "What's going on?" Ruby asked with concern.

Weiss gestured out to where her sister was fighting the other, tipsy warrior. "Some crazy guy just started attacking my sister!"

"Oh no!" Ruby cried as she turned to the battlefield. "Who would do such a th–" Upon seeing Winter's combatant, Ruby suddenly jumped up in the air with excitement and cried out happily, "_Thaaaat is my uncle!"_

"What?!" Weiss cried in surprise.

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted to her uncle, while Weiss tried cheering on her own relative. "Uh… teach him respect, Winter!"

Behind them both, amidst the throng of students and citizens, a familiar, silver-clad boy waded through the crowd. At first, Mercury barely cast a glancing eye upon the sudden battle in the streets, but before he walked by, he processed what he had seen of the two combatants. He peered back through, taking in the sight of Qrow and Winter giving and taking equal value, and paled in recognition, hurriedly rushing off to inform Cinder of this… unexpected development.

Heedless of the boy's departure, the Huntsman and Huntress continued their duel, each slicing and stabbing with their weapons. Winter leaned back to avoid a particularly low slash and came in with the hilt of her weapon, striking Qrow across the face. However, he grinned at her, eyes glinting in the golden evening sun, and reared back for a mighty blow. Sensing the danger, Winter summoned up a glyph beneath herself, spiriting away as Qrow slammed his blade down and created a large, jagged hole in the courtyard. He looked up to Winter, who smirked back down at him as she landed on the outside of the courtyard's barriers near a lamppost.

Qrow was back on her in an instant, forcing her to dodge backwards as he sliced clean through the metal post for her. He blocked as she leaped over him with a small strike from above and aimed for her legs as he swung again. She jumped back over him and landed on his outstretched blade, flipping backwards with a kick to his chin while she landed on the ruined stump of the chopped lamppost.

Qrow stabbed at the metal stump, causing her to jump away again to another post. A gunshot rang out from Qrow's sword, which had rotated to reveal a shotgun barrel at the flick of a lever, and she leaped from her perch as Qrow's shot pinged where her feet had been a moment before. This time, she dug in with her sword to the column of one of the decorative arches surrounding Beacon. Winter glared at Qrow from the wall as he took off in pursuit, running after her on the ground as she scaled to the top of the arch. He unfolded his sword again, the blade rotating ninety degrees from the clockwork gears to reveal the muzzle of his gun, and fired another round off. Winter nimbly avoided the second shot as she ran up top, sprinting on top of the arches. Qrow jumped high and landed on an arch of his own, separated from hers, and continued to fire at her from afar, keeping up with her speed until one shot seemed to connect in an explosion of white steam. Qrow spun his weapon back to its original form, squinting into the cloud for a sign of his foe.

Winter let out a rage-fueled cry as she flew out of the mist, hitting a small switch on her sword that loosened a segment of it into her other hand, giving her a second, smaller blade. She flew through the air towards him, dual wielding, as he grinned his silent challenge at her. Both of her blades connected with his with a loud clash, and the force of the strike sent them both hurtling back to the ground.

No sooner had they touched down than they were right back at it, slashing and slicing down the courtyard until Winter thrust him away with her two blades. Qrow dug his large sword into the ground to stop his slide, bringing it up behind his back as he smiled at her. Winter regarded him cooly, spinning her second, smaller sword in her hand and sinking it into the ground as a new glyph appeared beneath her, one unlike any Weiss had displayed before. Up from the glyph materialized several white shapes of energy that took on the appearance of small Nevermores as they flew towards Qrow.

Winter smirked as Qrow guarded his face with an arm against the blinding onslaught and sliced with his sword at the Grimm imitations. The flock surrounded him in a flurry of white, obscuring him from view. As a result, Winter almost didn't see the sudden slash of white energy from his sword until it was right on top of her, disrupting her concentration and collapsing the glyph as he glared at her, the birds disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. Winter returned his angry stare, summoning up a fresh glyph behind herself as she looked Qrow down.

In response, Qrow thumbed a small lever on his weapon's hilt, and suddenly, the long, broad blade broke into several segments, beginning to curl backwards on itself from the clockwork gears like the blade of a scythe as the crowd once again exclaimed in awe and wonder. Winter assumed a battle ready position, swords in hand, when Qrow gazed past her and did the unexpected. He suddenly cancelled his weapon's transformation and placed it back where he had gotten it on is back. Winter's glare faltered in confusion. Qrow leaned forward and playfully smiled, motioning her forward with a taunting finger.

Winter let out another enraged scream as she flew forward, sword outstretched and aimed at Qrow's neck. Her blade gleamed as it closed in on her target, Qrow's grin never faltering as he looked past her.

"_Schnee!"_

Despite her rage, Winter's military training kicked in, halting her sword mere inches from Qrow's neck at the voice of her commanding officer. Disoriented and off-balance at the sound of Ironwood's voice, she turned on one heel and stood at attention as she said in a strained voice, "General Ironwood, sir!"

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Ironwood demanded as he advanced on her, flanked by a guard of Atlesian Knights. The small form of Penny Polendina followed at his heels, staring worriedly at the situation before her with her hands clasped at her chest.

"He started the altercation, sir!" Winter said in her defense, the crisp military respect clear in her voice.

Qrow leaned out from behind her, hands behind his head in a carefree gesture. "That's actually not true. _She _attacked first."

Ironwood fixed her with a hard stare. "Is that right?"

Winter opened her mouth to defend herself, but then thought back to the beginning of their engagement and realized that Qrow was completely right. She stood there and averted her gaze with a grimace, embarrassed and humiliated at how easily the drunkard had goaded her into an engagement.

Ironwood looked around at the crowd, which was still looking on with awed confusion. He walked past the disgraced Winter and addressed Qrow. "And you." Qrow pointed a questioning, slightly sarcastic finger at himself as the general asked, "What are you doing _here?"_

Qrow easygoing face was not matched by the slight accusatory tone in his voice as he replied, "I could be asking you the same thing."

"I–"

"Now, now, everyone," came the calming voice of Professor Ozpin from behind. Everyone turned to face him as he and Glynda approached from behind. The headmaster had his usual cup of coffee in hand as he continued, "There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats… and popcorn." It was merely a calming statement, as the battles had ended less than an hour ago, but it proved effective.

Glynda addressed the crowd as she glared at Qrow, Winter, and Ironwood. "Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess."

Ironwood turned to Winter. "Let's go." As the military personnel departed, Ruby and Weiss broke through the dispersing crowds. Behind Ironwood, Penny turned and threw Ruby a quick smile and wave, before returning to her path after the general. Ruby waved back, then, she turned to the lean form of her uncle.

"_Uncle Qrow!" _Ruby shouted excitedly as she dashed to her uncle's side and wrapped herself around his arm. He lifted her up and stared at her with a bored expression as she said, "Hi. _Ooh, _it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"

His ambivalent expression cracked into a grin as he said playfully, "Nope." He rubbed her head fondly, turning as he heard Ozpin summoning him from across the courtyard.

"Qrow!" His niece fell from his arm as Ozpin regarded him. "A word, please." Behind him, Glynda was busy using her Semblance to fix the giant hole that Qrow's earlier attack had created in the courtyard's long walkway.

"I think I'm in trouble," Qrow murmured to his niece as she stood from where she had fallen.

She smiled sheepishly at him. "You did kinda tear up our courtyard."

"Yeah, I did," he said with another grin and a wink, giving her a fist bump. "Catch ya later, kid." With that, Qrow walked off after Ozpin and Glynda, and Ruby watched him go. Weiss walked up next to her, and expression of disgust on her face.

"And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense," the heiress said, arms crossed.

Ruby smirked. "You're just mad because he whooped butt!" She nudged Weiss in the shoulder.

Her teammate indignantly defended her older sister. "That was a draw at best."

* * *

The sun had fully set as Winter and Ironwood awaited the arrival of Qrow, Ozpin, and Glynda later that evening. Ironwood's arms were crossed, and Winter paced about, fuming and restless. The door dinged open, revealing Glynda and Ozpin standing behind a smirking Qrow in the elevator as Qrow raised his eyebrows significantly at Winter.

"What were you thinking?!" Winter demanded furiously.

Ironwood echoed her sentiment. "If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!"

Ozpin walked around to his desk, Glynda walked over to Winter, and Qrow reached into his coat to produce a small flask as he shot back, "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself."

"While I wouldn't _condone _his behavior," Glynda said, arms crossed as she addressed Winter, "retaliating like you did _certainly _didn't help the situation."

"He was drunk!"

"He's _always _drunk!" Glynda replied with frustration.

All four turned to where Qrow was currently gulping away at whatever kind of alcohol was in his flask. He stopped when he caught their glares, pulling it away from his lips sheepishly before he scowled. Ozpin looked at his friend with an expression of disbelief, then seated himself with a sigh, a hand on his head. "Qrow, why are you here?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks!" Ironwood angrily pointed out. "You can't just go dark like that in the field!"

"I'm not one of your special operatives, _Jimmy!" _Qrow fired back with hostility.

"_General," _Winter demanded of him severely, to which Qrow merely dismissed her with a flippant, "Whatever."

To Ironwood, the Huntsman continued, "You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here."

Ironwood leaned against Ozpin's desk as he acknowledged, "We know."

"Oh! Oh, _you know!" _Qrow said, his voice rising as he spoke, anger fueled slightly by his still-intoxicated state. "Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

Ironwood sighed in exasperation. "Qrow–"

Qrow cut him off. "Communication's a two-way street, pal!" He whipped out his scroll and pointed to it sarcastically. "You see this? That's the _SEND _button!"

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised!" Winter said coldly, still glaring at Qrow.

He returned her stare. "And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here!" He pointed at her and turned to the other three teachers. "Seriously, who invited her?"

Ironwood's eyes never left Qrow as he said a moment later, "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship."

"But, sir–!"

"_Winter. _Leave."

Without further protest, Winter gave a military salute, said, "Yes, sir," and walked to the elevator. She glared at Qrow as he winked at her on the way by, then entered the elevator and left, the door's _ding _signalling her departure.

Ironwood motioned to Qrow. "Go on."

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn," Qrow said, once more reaching for his flask as he turned his back to the other three. "They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." He took a swig as he let the information sink in.

"What?" Glynda said in surprise.

Qrow turned back to them. "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" Qrow walked up to Ironwood, their faces a foot apart as he continued in a dangerous voice, "It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James: when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being _discreet, _or did you just not give a damn?!"

Ironwood gave Qrow a hard stare as he palmed his Scroll onto Ozpin's desk. "Discreet wasn't working." The general stood and walked to the center of the room as a holographic projection of the entire city of Vale, Beacon, and his Atlesian Airfleet was displayed via his Scroll. He motioned to the airships as he said, "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here!" Qrow protested, pointing to the Beacon headmaster. "He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the _real _fight that's in front of us!"

"And I am grateful," Ironwood reassured.

"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it."

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would _act. _When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe. And our enemies will feel our strength."

Qrow's low laughter had begun as soon as Ironwood finished. "You… you think they're scared of your little _ships?_ I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made and let me tell you – they _are _fear."

"And fear will bring the Grimm," Ozpin agreed as he rose. "A _guardian _is a symbol of comfort. But an _army _is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds." He gestured to the holographic fleet. "If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?"

Frustrated at their apparent lack of understanding for his actions, Ironwood sighed as he walked forward and picked up his Scroll from the desk. "So then, what would you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we find our guardian," Ozpin said firmly. No one noticed as the general picked up his Scroll that, for the briefest moment, a small image of a black queen chess piece had flashed across its screen.

* * *

And you're sure?"

"Bad hair, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. It was him."

Cinder paced the length of their dorm room, Mercury on the bed answering her questions. He had just arrived and informed them of Qrow's sudden appearance and subsequent duel with Winter.

"What do we do?" Emerald wondered from nearby on the floor.

Cinder looked at her with a smile. "Nothing. We stay the course. They have no idea who we are, so we have no reason to worry. Besides, the last of the heavily lifting is being taken care of, thanks to our clever little friend." Her Scroll suddenly flashed at her side, and she picked it up and opened it with another smile. "Ah, speaking of which, it appears we have a new access point." On the screen, a picture of a serious-looking James Ironwood was displayed in the corner, and on the other side, an elegant "W" rotated.

"Anywhere good?" Emerald asked.

"You could say that," Cinder affirmed with a small chuckle. "Go to your rooms. I'll prepare everything for tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Got it."

The two stood and walked to the door as Cinder eyed her Scroll. Across the screen, the randomizers for the Vytal Festival Tournament were displayed, and her finger flicked through the contestants of the doubles round matchups. She came to a stop on Mercury and Emerald on one side, then on Yatsuhashi Daichi and Coco Adel of Team CFVY one other. Her smile was sinister as she mused to herself, "Let's give the crowd a good fight."

* * *

The randomizers spun to a stop the next morning as they spectators and viewers anxiously awaited who would be the first matchup of the day. The selection came to a stop on Emerald and Mercury versus Coco and Yatsu as Port announced, "The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen, your doubles tournament fight!"

Cinder gave a slow clap that blended in with the rest of the audience's cheers as she smiled with menace and awaited her rigged matchup to begin.


	36. Lessons Learned

**Chapter Four: Lessons Learned**

Yatsuhashi Daichi and Coco Adel both took in their opponents. Yatsu was in a meditative position, gathering his strength and focusing his concentration, as Port announced, "Emerald and Mercury of Haven, versus, Coco and Yatsuhashi of Beacon!"

In the stands, Fox Alistair and Velvet Scarlatina cheered their teammates on beside Ruby. "Good luck you two!" Velvet called out with her clipped accent.

The randomizers finished their spin, and this time, four biomes rose up, one in each quarter of the arena. The first was a grassy, savanna-like expanse; next, a large, stony geiser field with several small rivers; third, a ruined section of city that could have come straight from Mountain Glenn; and finally, a dense forest, thick with green trees. The forest had been used as one of the biomes the previous day in the battle between Team JNPR and Team BRNZ.

Coco lowered her expensive sunglasses as she regarded Emerald and Mercury. "Hey!" she said in an appreciative voice. "Love the outfit, kid!"

"I'll try not to get blood on it," Emerald shot back tauntingly, a smirk on her face.

The lumbering mass of muscle that was Yatsuhashi rose from the ground and drew his curved broadsword from his back. In a deep voice, he said, "I can't promise you'll leave without a scratch." As sophomores, Yatsu and Coco were both a full year ahead of the first years that their opponents claimed to be. However, neither Emerald nor Mercury seemed the least bit intimidated… or worried.

"I won't be the one bleeding," Emerald assured him cockily.

Coco turned to her teammate. "Oh, I like her!"

"Three, two, one, begin!" came Port's voice over the speakers, signalling the official start of the battle. However, rather than moving to immediately engage, Emerald and Mercury took a more subtle approach, backing slowly into the tall grasses of the savannah biome behind them, disappearing among the waving blades. Coco and Yatsu exchanged a confident look as Coco transformed her briefcase into its large, Gatling gun form. Bullets began to whiz through the grass, mowing it down, and caused spectators to reflexively duck when they hit the barrier between themselves and the arena.

Coco paused after a few more moments of cutting the grass, and she and Yatsu both were startled to see that there was no sign of Emerald and Mercury. "Huh?" Coco said in confusion.

A cry from Blake of "Look out!" from the stands was the only warning for the two second-year students as Mercury suddenly fell out of the sky, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. Yatsuhashi pushed his teammate aside and was barely able to block Mercury's attacking boots with his sword. Mercury fired off his boots, flipping himself off of the sword and sliding to a stop several meters away. Coco opened fire again, but the silver boy was already on the run, sprinting circles around the two older students, just a few steps ahead of the Gatling gun's menacing fire.

In the stands, Team SSSN looked on in admiration. "He's good," Sun said of the speeding boy.

"Yeah," agreed Scarlet, "but where's the girl?"

Regardless of where Emerald was, Coco and Yatsu seemed to be very much occupied by Mercury alone at the moment. The younger boy was a whirlwind of kicking legs and boots as he knocked Coco's aim off balance, before moving to Yatsuhashi, whom he drove back with two kicks to the head before the large boy could swing with his broadsword. Hearing the spinning sound behind him, Merc quickly jumped away as Coco opened fire where he had been standing.

Mercury landed on the barrel of the rotating gun and delivered a staggering kick to Coco's chin that made her stumble, while simultaneously using his boots to once again block Yatsuhashi's attack. The large Huntsman in training threw out his free hand and managed to score a hit against the blindingly quick Mercury, but the silver boy merely used it to his advantage, flipping his body around Coco's and grabbing her by the shoulder, while his feet landed on the large case attached to her gun and forced the barrel close to Yatsu's stomach.

Mercury grinned. _Check._

Unable to shoot and awkward with the large weapon in close quarters, as well as annoyed by Mercury's smart move, Coco scowled as she transformed her gun back into its small, compact box form, spinning around to try and hit Merc in the stomach. However, her nimble opponent quickly flipped away, landing on his back and pushing himself back up in an incredible display of athleticism as he fired of two twirling shots from his boots.

Coco managed to deflect one over her shoulder with her briefcase and let it explode behind her in the geyser field, while Yatsuhashi sliced the other in half on his blade. Coco regained her balance, and she gasped suddenly as she looked at Mercury's latest tactic.

Mercury was currently a spinning ball on the arena floor, twisting and turning on his hands in a breakdancing fashion as he repeatedly fired his boots, surrounding himself in an impenetrable tornado of Dust charges that he sent forward like a blinding maelstrom at the other two. The shots exploded all around Coco and Yatsu, disorienting them and battering the duo senseless for a few, valuable moments.

When the mist cleared and they regained their balance, Coco and Yatsu both scanned the area for any sign of Mercury, but he seemed to have vanished. A thud behind Coco alerted her otherwise, but she barely had enough time for a surprised gasp as Mercury grabbed her and Yatsu by their arms and kicked back and forth between them. He kicked Yatsuhashi away and focused on her, landing several dizzying blows to her head before he delivered one final kick across his body that sent her sprawling to the ground.

Not out of it yet, Coco got to her feet, but her effort to rejoin the brawl was cut short as, out of the forest behind her, a sharp, curved blade connected to a long chain suddenly reached out and wrapped around her waist, a violent yank tugging her into the forest away from Yatsu and Mercury.

"Coco!" cried the large boy in vain as he watched her get dragged away before his eyes. Another kick to the head quickly reminded Yatsu that he was in the middle of an engagement and didn't have time to be distracted. By now fed up with being beaten and battered, Yatsu reached out suddenly and managed to wrap a massive, viselike fist around Mercury's neck. With the first positive move he had made of the battle, Yatsu slung Mercury around and forcefully threw him to the ground, where the silver boy slid to a stop in one of the geyser field's small rivers. Yatsu leaped high with a mighty yell, bringing his sword down on Mercury's raised boots so hard, that the resulting shockwave sank the ground around them as multiple fresh geysers erupted up from the rocky terrain.

Mercury quickly recovered, kicking Yatsu's blade awkwardly to make him lose balance, then went low for the other boy's feet. This strike, Yatsuhashi managed to dodge as he flipped over Mercury, and he began to try desperately to score a hit on the silver boy. He missed thrice with the broadsword, Mercury blocked the next two strikes, and then, the last was redirected into the ground, tossing up several large stones, which Merc kicked straight into the taller boy's chest, driving him back even further.

Mercury blocked two more strikes and fired his boots into Yatsu's face, the older boy stumbling but quickly recovering with another horizontal slash. Merc slid under the motion of the blade and struck Yatsu in the side, then flipped backward to kick him in the chin. The last blow clipped him with just enough force to send Yatsu onto his back, his head directly over a rumbling geyser outlet. The older boy screamed as the geyser erupted around his head, momentarily blinding and unbalancing him. Yatsu stumbled dizzily for a moment, opening his eyes just in time to see Mercury's final, finishing move coming right for his face.

* * *

In the forest, Coco hit hard against a rock as the chain dragged her deeper and deeper, eventually releasing right as she struck a large tree hard with her back. She shook her head and lifted a hand to the pounding ache at her eyes, then realized with a start that her designer sunglasses were missing. She looked down beside her and saw them, shattered and broken. She stood and glared into the trees. "I take it back. I _don't _like her."

Gunshots rang out behind her, and Coco barely dodged in time to avoid a quick barrage from Emerald's pistols. She flipped backwards to avoid the bullets as Emerald ran, swinging and jumping from branch to branch. Her pistol's clawlike blades unfolded, and Emerald dug them into the wooden branches as she swung through the trees. Coco quickly opened fire with her own gun, following Emerald's path as the darker girl nimbly dodged away. Emerald suddenly disappeared behind a tree trunk, disappearing into the canopy.

"Damn!" the older girl muttered under her breath.

"Coco!" came a voice from behind her, and she turned to see Yatsu strolling slowly towards her. Relief burst onto her face, but it quickly disappeared as she refocused on the disappeared Emerald.

"Watch out! She's in the trees!" Coco called to her teammate. However, as she did, a buzzer sounded, and her gaze swung up in surprise to the video board. On screen, Yatsuhashi was kicked hard to the face by Mercury, sending him down for the count, Aura below the line.

"Oh, and with that final blow, Yatsuhashi is eliminated!" Port said.

"What?!" Coco cried, turning to where Yatsu had stood just moments before. The tall boy was nowhere to be seen… as was Emerald. Coco's hand trembled slightly on the handle of her gun as she warily gazed out into the woods around her, searching desperately for some fleeting shadow of her hidden foe. "Damn!" she muttered again.

A metallic sound behind her was her only warning, and it came too late. Coco whirled right as Emerald's sickle blade slashed down at her, launching the older girl out of the forest with a pained cry. Coco landed next to Yatsu's inert form, where she too lay unmoving and unconscious. Emerald strolled out of the forest, her blade twirling on its chain as she smiled victoriously.

From the announcer's booth, Oobleck cried, "And with an amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!"

Velvet looked on in concern for her friends as Fox shook his head beside her. "Coco?" Fox merely put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Behind her and Ruby, who sat on her other side, Cinder rose, unnoticed, and walked out of the stadium, a satisfied smile on her lips.

* * *

"You're… leaving?"

Weiss' voice was both surprised and sad as she sat across the table from Winter later that afternoon. Winter took a sip from the teacup she had been drinking from, then set the small piece of china down beside the plates of croissants and strawberries that had been their meal. "Yes. I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was lost in an ambush." She regarded her younger sibling with slight amusement. "I believe you had a run-in with its cargo, actually. It's fortunate those Paladins were in the prototype stage. Otherwise, your team may not have fared so well."

At the words, Weiss' head fell a bit as she sighed despondently. However, the younger Schnee looked up when she felt a hand on her own. Winter looked at her with a genuine smile now. "Weiss, you've done… well, out here, on your own. You should be proud." She laughed a bit as she continued, "I'll be honest, it was quite amusing seeing Father's face the day you left for Beacon!"

Weiss smiled, always happy to see her ever-serious sister break into laughter. Straightened back up, she smiled and crossed her arms as she replied, "I can't wait to show him what I learned!"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what _do _you think you've learned?"

"What do you mean? I'm getting better and better with my glyphs! I've even started Time Dilation!"

Winter fixed her younger sister with a piercing gaze as she asked, "And what of your _Summoning?"_

"I…" Weiss looked away again. "You know I can't."

"Don't be ridiculous," Winter mildly reproached. "Every Schnee has the ability to summon. We have for generations."

"I've tried!" Weiss cried desperately. "It's just… it's the _one _thing I've been having trouble with!"

After a short pause, Winter answered, "We Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But that doesn't mean it will come easily." Winter displayed an upturned palm, upon which she conjured up a small, white glyph that spun gently in her hand. "Your Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it – if you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible…" Weiss was suddenly forced to look away as the small glyph flashed brightly with a brilliant white light. When she looked again, her eyes widened at the sight of a white Beowolf standing directly behind her sister. Winter smiled as she stroked the muzzle of the summoned beast and finished, "…then you'll never truly grow."

Weiss looked on in awed amazement at the passive monster behind Winter. She was yet unable to summon for herself, but if this was the power that could be spawned by practice… A smile broke on her face as she thought of the implications and possibilities of her untapped, innate ability.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of Beacon, another family was having a slightly more rowdy reunion.

"You'll never beat me, old man!" Ruby cried as she mashed her buttons.

Qrow chuckled. "You're nothing but talk kid!"

"You can do it, Ruby!" Yang cheered from the sidelines. However, the blonde was quickly proved wrong when, on the screen, Ruby's fighter fell to the ground as Qrow's adopted a victorious look. "_Soaring Ninja Wins!" _the game announcer said. "_Total Annihilation!" _

Ruby looked crestfallen at the screen and then bowed her head in defeat while Qrow smirked at her. Yang whispered, "Ouch!" as Qrow gave Ruby a hard gaze.

"And by the way," he grumbled, "don't ever call me _old."_

Yang quickly pushed Ruby to the side and grabbed the controller. "My turn!"

The next round started as Qrow said, "Now, where was I?"

"You were telling us about your last mission!" Ruby reminded him, watching the match excitedly from behind them.

"Right, right…" Qrow's voice went far away as he began, "I'd come across a small village in the swamps west of Mistral. Right off the bat, I knew something wasn't right."

"What were you doing there?" asked a wide-eyed Ruby."

"I needed information. Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to start my search at the town's inn. The place was crawling with lowlifes and thugs, even a few Huntsmen that I could only assume had been hired by less-than-reputable people for less-than-respectable jobs. And that's when it happened."

"What happened?" Yang asked, momentarily distracted from the fight.

"I was defeated… by the mere sight… of the innkeeper's skirt length!" Qrow grinned broadly at Yang and caught the pillow she threw at him as the announcer once again declared him the victor. Yang scowled at him, realizing that the story had been a ploy to distract her as she cried, "You are the _worst!"_

Ruby giggled along with Qrow as he chuckled at Yang's frustration. "Best two out of three?" their uncle suggested.

Ruby sat down on Weiss' bed as the two prepared for the next match. "So, Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?"

"Nah, me and Oz go way back. We're cool."

"Cool for an old guy," Yang said with a smirk.

Her uncle looked at her, annoyed. "_Not funny."_

On the side, Ruby piped up again, "So, what are you doing here anyway? I thought Dad said that you would be on a mission, for like… ever."

The screen said, "_Ready? Fight!"_ Qrow and Yang began their rematch as the man replied, "Well, a professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I get that." His younger niece laughed. "We're pretty much pros, too."

"Oh, really?"

Yang scoffed, "Yeah, read the news sometime! We totally saved Vale while you were gone."

"Funny," Qrow replied, "because I heard that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you _almost _managed to stop a train." The screen displayed his victory again as he leaned back smugly, to Yang's contempt. "But they don't give out medals for _almost."_

"They do, and it's called silver!" Ruby refuted cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed. "We helped take down Roman Torchwick! He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since! That's basically a bounty mission!"

"Sure, you may be _acting _like Huntresses, but you're not _thinking _like one. You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in a Kingdom?"

Ruby sheepishly played with her fingers. "I mean, I _did _until you said that…"

Qrow's voice was serious and firm as he continued, "Violence hasn't stopped since Roman got nabbed; it's stopped _completely_. No White Fang activity around the city. You cut off the head of a King Taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood, can't get through that thick metal head of his."

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other, then looked back to their uncle. "You… know the General?" Yang asked.

Qrow's easygoing voice returned as he replied, "Hey, I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team that graduated Beacon!" Qrow reached back into a pocket and retrieved a worn photograph. He held it out for inspection. Yang's eyes widened a bit when she took in the sight of Qrow; their dad, Taiyang; Ruby's mother, Summer… and Yang's own mother, Raven, Qrow's twin sister. Raven Branwen smiled towards the camera, hand on her long, red sword, and wore an ornate display of oriental-seeming armor. Noticing Yang's focus on Raven, Qrow shifted his finger subtly to cover the face of her mother as he sighed fondly at the old memories that came rushing to mind.

"Heh, Team STRQ," he murmured, pronouncing the team as 'stark.' "That's where I met your parents. We were pretty well known back in the day."

"Well known for crummy fashion sense!" Ruby said, not noticing Yang's intent concentration on Raven.

"Hey, we looked good!" Qrow protested mildly. "And I have a number of _inappropriate _stories to back that up!" Seeing that Yang had yet to tear her gaze away from her mother's covered face, he tucked the picture back behind him. "But, I'll save those for when you're older."

Ruby shivered at the notion. "Ew, gross!"

Qrow stood and walked to the door as he continued, "Anyways, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids. You're gonna cramp my style." He turned in the doorway to look at the two sisters. "Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go." He lifted a finger for emphasis as he continued, "And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Each day out there is worth a week in this place." He pointed over his back with a thumb. In a sincere voice, he finished, "You two, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning; if you _never _stop moving forward." With those final words, Qrow turned and left down the hallway, leaving Ruby and Yang to contemplate his advice.

* * *

"Excellent form!" Winter evaluated as Weiss pointed Myrtenaster to the ground. Before the sisters, a summoning glyph rotated as it sputtered and flashed, weakly maintained by Weiss' concentration. As the glyph continued to flicker, Winter continued, "Now think to your fallen foes! The ones who forced you to push past where you were, and become who you are now. Think of them, and watch as they come to your side."

Weiss frowned, the concentrations etched onto her face. She tried to visualize it, thought of a specific enemy, the knight she had defeated so many months ago, and focused, calling on her power. The circle of light before them still whirled unsteadily, until it suddenly collapsed as Weiss stomped her foot in frustration. "I can't!"

The strike to the back of her head only made her ire rise as Winter chastised sharply, "Stop doubting yourself!"

"I'm trying!" Weiss protested as she turned to her sister.

"If this is what you call trying, then you have no hope of winning the tournament, let alone succeeding as a Huntress." A sarcastic smile suddenly broke out on her face. "Why don't you just move back home? I'm sure Father would give you a nice job as a _receptionist!"_

Weiss glowered at the ground, hating her sister's patronizing tone. "I don't need his charity."

Winter leaned in with a knowing grin. "But you do need his _money, _don't you?"

Weiss looked back at her sister, surprise evident in her expression. "What?! How

did you know about that?"

"Lucky guess," Winter replied as she straightened. I may have been in a similar situation when I joined the military. So what have you done this time?"

Winter began to walk around Weiss analytically as the younger Schnee replied uncertainly, "Well, that's the thing: I'm really not sure! I went to pay for lunch the other day, but the card didn't work!"

"How embarrassing."

"I know!" Winter shook her head. "Well it was," Weiss defended. "Why would he cut me off like that?"

Winter's pointed gaze fixed her in place. "Perhaps so that you'd stop avoiding him and call home."

In response, Weiss angrily whirled around and once more extended Myrtenaster, summoning up a fresh, rotating glyph as she grimaced, until a soft hand fell upon her shoulder.

"Emotions can grant you strength," Winter told her, "but you must never let them overpower you." To the side, the glyph sputtered and died. "It sounds to me like you have two choices in front of you. You can either call him, beg for his money back and explain once more why you would want to study at Beacon over Atlas." Winter's face softened as she continued, "Or you could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world and, honestly, more about yourself."

Weiss was deep in thought for the small moment of pause before Winter said, "It's time for me to go." The elder Schnee pulled her sister into a hug, which Weiss gratefully returned.

Weiss smiled up at her sister as they backed away. "It was really good to see you, Winter."

Winter sighed and smiled. "Until next time, sister."

Winter and Weiss both walked out of the small pavilion they had been training in and went their separate ways, Winter casting one, caring look back towards her sibling before she walked away. Neither had noticed as, on the bricked ground, a small caterpillar climbed over a tiny, glowing white broadsword that suddenly vanished in a sparkling flash.

* * *

Weiss waved as the elegant ship rose into the sky and the ribbons began to billow behind it. Suddenly, a small buzz in her pocket drew her attention, and she pulled out her Scroll. _FATHER._

Her finger went to the screen, stopping a few inches away. Weiss looked down to her hand, the answer button glowing green beside the decline button. Taking in a breath as she shut her eyes, Weiss pressed the decline. The young heiress stared down at her now-silent Scroll, smiling despite herself, as she replaced it in her pocket and went to rejoin her friends in the dorms.


	37. Never Miss a Beat

**Chapter Five: Never Miss a Beat**

Russel Thrush panted as he ran desperately for cover behind a large boulder. He heard the _ting _of metal as six blades sank into the rock he had hidden behind. A glance over to Sky revealed that he was similarly pinned, and both of the boys of Team CRDL looked on in disbelieving terror at their opponent.

Penny Polendina grinned and turned to her partner, a dark skinned girl in a blue uniform who tapped at her watch as a signal to hurry up. Using her hidden strings, Penny quickly yanked the boulders up into the air, the boys now hanging to them as they screamed in fear. Penny forcefully slammed the rocks down, eliminating the boys simultaneously as a double buzzer sounded.

Penny gave a respectful bow to her vanquished foes as Dr. Oobleck cried over the speakers, "And victory goes to Penny and Ciel of Atlas!"

The ginger girl grinned. "Thank you for a wonderful time!" she addressed the fallen forms before her, before she and Ciel both exited the arena and made their way to one of the exits.

"Penny!" came a cry from behind her, and Penny's smile widened as she turned to the sight of her best friend in the entire world.

"Ruby!" she cried happily, tackling her friend to the ground in a crushing hug.

"Why…" Ruby moaned beneath the heavier, metal girl.

As the reaper dusted herself off, Penny motioned to her companion. "Ruby, this is my teammate."

The mocha-skinned girl gave a polite bow. "Ciel Soleil," she introduced.

Ruby waved. "Hi, I'm Ru–"

Ciel cut her off with an analytical voice. "Ruby Rose. Fifteen. Hails from Patch. Leader of Team RWBY. Status: Questionable."

Unsure of how to respond, Ruby left Ciel to her deductions as she turned back to Penny. "You two were incredible out there! How do you keep control of all those swords? It's so cool!"

"Penny?" The girls turned to Ciel, who gestured to her watch again. "I believe it is best if we move on to our next location."

Penny looked at Ruby. "Can we just have a minute to talk?" she asked Ciel. Apparently deciding that it could fit their schedule, Ciel nodded and took a step back, clearly counting the mentioned minute down.

"So, is she… your friend or…?" Ruby asked once they were more private.

"Well, in a way," Penny replied. "She's like Blake, but if Blake was ordered to spend time with you?"

"Oh. So, Weiss."

"Precisely!"

Ruby spoke quieter as she asked, "Does she know about… y'know…" She moved robotically as she said, "Beep boop bop, does not compute?"

"Oh, no. General Ironwood doesn't really want anyone to know. There _was _an incident with a magnet, but I was able to play it off." Penny told Ruby quickly of the large sunhat she had purchased to disguise the magnet, and the two girls laughed. However, Penny turned serious again as she said, "Ruby, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about." She leaned closer after a glance to Ciel. "I want to stay at Beacon."

Ruby frowned. "Penny, they'll never let you."

Penny frowned as well, but then smiled. "I know, but I have a plan."

"It's been precisely one minute, ma'am," Ciel said as she rejoined the conversation, motioning significantly to her watch.

"I'll talk to you more soon, Ruby," Penny said as she departed with a wave that Ruby mirrored.

Professor Port's announcing voice shook her from her wave. "Our next match will begin in 15 minutes!"

Suddenly remembering, Ruby jumped excitedly. "Oh, my gosh, that's right! It's time for–"

* * *

"Well, now it's our turn!" Yang said confidently as she stretched an arm across her chest to limber up.

"Just remember to keep proper form," Weiss reminded her pointedly, to which the brawler chuckled.

"Alright." Joking aside, she asked, "You're from Atlas. What could we expect?"

Weiss herself began to stretch as she said, "Well, seeing as their Kingdom, academy, and armed forces are all merged as one, I think we can expect strict, militant fighters with advanced technology and carefully rehearsed strategies."

Without warning, someone zipped behind them, startling them with the speed and snapping them from their strategizing. The blurred form zoomed around in front of them and slowed into the shape of a girl on girl sported a light blue tank top and a black miniskirt, as well as slight padding on her elbows and knees. Her hair was a mixture of pure red and magenta with a few blue highlights, as well as a faunus cat tail behind her that matched her natural hair color and a rainbow tattoo on her upper right forearm. In the corresponding hand, she clenched a small pair of gray nunchucks.

Their first opponent had come to a stop right next to their second, a dark-skinned young boy dressed in snazzy dress attire that was assembled messily around his person. A black vest over a white dress shirt matched his black pants striped in white, and an untied blue necktie hung limp around his neck. The tie matched a small band around his black fedora, and a pair of glasses obscured his eyes. His weapon was a bit more confusing, as he merely seemed to be holding a gray metal trumped with multi-colored switches.

Taking in their colorful and unexpected opponents, Weiss corrected herself to Yang, who was equally surprised. "Or… whatever _they _are."

"Hey!" Weiss blinked as a shout from the boy grabbed her attention. She glanced up to the boards and read his name as Flynt Coal, and his teammate's as Neon Katt. She looked to Flynt as he smiled and said. "You Weiss Schnee, right? The heiress."

"I am," Weiss said in proud acknowledgement.

"I take it you're pretty good with Dust, then?"

"I do my best," the snowy heiress replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, my dad was good too," Flynt continued. "Owned a little Dust shop of his own." His friendly expression suddenly dropped, and his glasses lowered slightly, allowing her a glimpse of his angry brown eyes as he finished, "'Til your father's company ran him out of business."

Weiss' smile dropped, as did her face. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Flynt rolled his eyes. "_Sure you are."_

Yang, wishing to defend her friend, lifted an accusatory finger at Flynt and began, "Hey, why don't you–"

"'Hey, why don't _you?'" _came a high-pitched, very annoying imitation sarcastically. Yang looked to Neon, surprised. The Faunus girl bent over with a mocking smile, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Yang. "That's what _you _sound like!"

"Uh…" Yang and Weiss were both taken off guard by this strange, bubbly girl.

"Hey, where'd you get your hair extensions?" Neon asked a flustered Yang.

"This is just my normal hair."

Neon winced. "_Ooh, really?"_

"Yeah," Yang said, annoyed now, "is that a prob–"

The Faunus girl cut her off again. "You should try rollerblading sometime! It's _super _fun!" The cat-tailed annoyance spun on her skates in demonstration as she added, "It'd probably take you a while though, since you're so… you know, _top heavy_."

Yang glanced down at herself, then looked back up at Neon, obviously annoyed and insulted as Weiss looked on in shock. "_Excuse me?!"_

Sensing the breakdown even from the stands, Ruby rolled her eyes in her seat next to Blake as the biome-selection holograms began to spin. "Oh, here we go." Around the two opposing teams, biomes rose up: the fiery area from Team RWBY's first match; desert terrain; a geyser field similar to those of the recent defeat of Team CFVY; and the Mountain Glenn lookalike.

Port began the countdown as the four students assumed fighting stances. "Three! Two! One!"

Yang and Weiss exchanged a confused look as Flynt drew in a huge breath and Neon readied herself on her skates. "Begin!" cried Port.

Flynt leaned forward and blew mightily on his trumpet, a long, vibrating note that generated a large sound wave towards the two girls, knocking them off balance as Neon dashed forward. Weiss summoned up a glyph to keep herself in place against the onslaught, but Neon went after Yang, the sound propelling her quickly forward on her skates as she struck her backwards on the way by, quickly zooming away as Yang scrambled back to her feet.

Flynt flicked his hat stylishly as he faced down Weiss, now one on one. The blew another long note on his instrument that once again threatened to send Weiss flying back, but the heiress created a black gravity glyph that flung her forward until the wave stopped her. Another glyph helped her against the sound's effect, keeping her standing in place. She summoned a stronger one as she began to step forward. It was like trying to walk into a hurricane gale.

Flynt suddenly stopped, and Weiss' powerful glyph launched her forward to her surprise. She dashed past the suave young trumpeter, and he kicked her down on the way by, sending her into a fire crystal in the volcano biome. Flynt grinned at Weiss' fallen form as he prepared to advance, fiery fountains of lava erupting all around them.

In the desolate city, meanwhile, Neon chipperly skated along, pursued by a still-incensed Yang, who launched blasts from Ember Celica left and right. Neon deftly dodged every charge, leaping up to grind along a railing on her skates as she taunted Yang by sticking her tongue out. Grimacing, Yang resumed fire as Neon skated away in the distance, nimbly evading the shots as she zipped through the ruined buildings. Softly, the Faunus girl muttered to herself, "Never miss a beat, never miss a beat!" as she skated, keeping a step ahead of the relentless energy of Yang.

Neon suddenly rushed in on her wheels, attacking Yang quicker than the typical enemy thanks to her skates. The girl was everywhere: above, below, behind, to the side, raining down blows with the small nunchucks in her hands. Yang groaned as the barrage suddenly stopped, popping spent cartridges free of her gauntlets as she eyed Neon furiously from several yards away.

Neon's happy smile never changed as she cracked her nunchucks, the weapons suddenly glowing blue in her hands, and she raced forward again. Yang punched high, but Neon ducked low, sweeping her weapons along Yang's leg. Feeling a sudden cold, Yang looked down to see her leg encased in ice. Realizing that there was Dust in her opponent's weapon, Yang turned to scowl over at Neon as the skater snickered.

With a giggle, Neon slapped her own rear and mocked, "Look! Now you're _bottom heavy _too!"

Yang's face showed murder as she stomped her leg free, the ice exploding outward from the force. Neon came in behind her again before she could react, this time leaving one of her arms encased in the cold ice. Neon dashed away on the skates, gaining momentum, before she came rushing right back with a kick that sent Yang back into a wall. The brawler stayed on her feet, though the wall behind her cracked a bit from the impact, as she gazed up at Neon with fury.

"You need to _cool_ off!" Neon grinned at her evilly. "Get it? Because you're angry."

Yang's face was a mask  
of infuriated frustration as she smashed her arm into the wall behind her, shattering it completely along with the ice around her arm.

* * *

In the fire biome, Weiss had regained her feet and raised Myrtenaster at Flynt in challenge. She quickly whirled around, summoning up four glyphs above her head, then motioned forward to launch several spikes of ice from them at her musical foe.

Flynt looked at a rumbling volcano before him and smirked. He went to his knees and blew the trumpet, directing the flames at the frozen spikes, melting them before they could ever reach him. He twirled his trumpet in his hand and grinned slyly at her as he jabbed, "Too bad all that money can't buy you skill."

Indignant, Weiss twirled her Dust chamber to a stop, launching a wind attack at him right as he blew his note. The sound wave offset her own attack, leaving them evenly matched. In response, Weiss flicked a finger to her right, and around Flynt, a wide circle of glyphs suddenly appeared. Suddenly, the wind was gone, and Flynt felt himself being hit from all sides as Weiss Schnee glided through the air, ricocheting off of the glyphs and striking him from all sides, each hit dropping his Aura just a little bit further.

Undeterred, Flynt resumed his playing, and suddenly, at his side appeared three identical clones, each with their own trumpet and a different colored hat. Outmatched by the combined attack, Weiss was thrown to the side as Flynt smugly smirked.

The audience had been just as surprised as Weiss. From his seat by Ren, Jaune breathed an awed "Woah" at the attack, while Port cried from the announcing box, "What's this?"

Oobleck explained. "It appears young Flynt has activated his Semblance, and quite a remarkable one at that! Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on Flynt Coal's Killer Quartet!"

Flynt and his doppelgangers grinned and flipped their hats to the crowd, who were all excited by this new development. He glanced up to the leaderboard and took in the welcome sight of both Weiss and Yang's Auras being down to half their original amount. _Neon must really be giving the blonde chick a workover._ Reabsorbing his clones with a dashing smile, Flynt once again strolled forward to Weiss, who was dizzily trying to rise.

* * *

Neon giggled back towards Yang, whose eyes had begin to flash crimson with her temper.

"Ooh, flashy eyes!" The other girl smirked as she skated around. "You know, you're actually kinda pretty when you're angry!"

With an effort, Yang shook her head, her eyes reverting to their normal color of lilac as she dashed forward in a desperate effort to silence Neon's obnoxious chatter. "_Shut up, shut up, shut up!"_

Weiss, on hands and knees, reached for Myrtenaster, but Flynt's foot came down onto the weapon as he smiled triumphantly over her. They both turned to the other two girls, where Yang angrily shouted, "Get back here!" as Neon skated circles around her.

"I wasn't trying to say that you _should _go on a diet, I was saying you really _need _to go on a diet!" Neon explained as she continued to tease the golden-haired brawler.

"_**That's it!**_" Yang cried, preparing to lash out once more.

Neon grinned at her. "You're fat!" she jabbed.

Flynt, grinning at the sight, turned to give his full attention to Yang as he activated his Semblance. However, a shove from behind sent the four musicians tumbling forward into an erupting geyser of lava as Weiss Schnee gave a mighty push to the boy and his quartet, letting the fire engulf them both. A buzzer sounded, and Yang turned in surprise at the sound. "What?"

In the stands, Ruby and Blake both cried, "Weiss!"

"It appears we have a double knockout on our hands!" Port cried.

"In fact, it looks as though Miss Schnee's Aura has been completely depleted!" Oobleck agreed. "She sacrificed herself to take out Flynt!" Seeing movement out on the arena, he paused. "Wait a minute, what's this?!"

The prone form of Weiss Schnee was covered in soot as she lay, unmoving off to the side. However, the sight that had caught the doctor's eye was that of Flynt Coal, staggering but standing as the smoke cleared. His Aura remained just barely over the line, but he was still in the match, even as Weiss' face was crossed out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Flynt Coal remains standing!" Port announced excitedly to the fans, who cheered in response.

Flynt grimaced from the surprise attack, but his pace was even as he strode over to the remaining combatants. Neon zipped excitedly around him, crying, "You did it Flynt! Don't worry about her, she's easy!" In a loud whisper, she added, "But kind of annoying."

Unable to contain the building rage any longer, Yang's eyes narrowed and her hands clenched at her sides into tight fists. The lava arena behind her began to rumble as Port declared, "Ooh, looks like Yang's angry! And you wouldn't like her when she's…" Yang screamed in rage, her hair glowing brightly as her eyes sparkled red. "Upset," Port finished as the volcanoes erupted behind Yang, the environment giving voice to her pent up fury.

Yang launched a barrage of shots at her foes, which they sidestepped in tandem. "Yo, Neon, go!" Flynt yelled to the skater, then blew his trumpet to launch her forward. Yang improvised, using Ember Celica to shoot herself forward and work against the sound waves, meeting Neon head on in a quick and vicious exchange of fists and blows. Yang launched herself clear, unable to land a good hit, and switched tactics, launching blasts at Neon from afar that exploded the ground beneath her, causing the rollerblader to stumble and pause for the first time of the fight as she fought to avoid the uneven terrain. Still being propelled by the sound wave, Yang shot straight for Flynt, causing him to redirect his attack as he dodged. Now free in the air, she dedicated all of her energy towards Neon, eventually forcing the girl to leap clear. However, Neon was still stumbling as she landed on the rocky terrain of the geyser field, far more uneven than any surface she had been on thus far.

Yang dropped into a roll and charged Flynt, leaping high as he once again split into four, the trumpet blast working against her body. Yang held fast, propelling herself forward yard by yard until her hands closed around the mouth of the head Flynt's trumpet and she fired a shot. Her blast rebounded Flynt's attack back onto him, and he instantly fell back as the buzzer sounded and he was finally taken out for good. "Oh, sour note for Flynt!" Oobleck remarked as Yang turned to Neon, who remained off balance in the geyser field.

Desperately trying to regain her balance, Neon wobbled, repeating her chant of "Never miss a beat, never miss a beat, never miss a–" until an uneven outcropping of rock caught her wheel and exploited the weakness of the rollerskates. "Beat?" she finished with a frantic cry as she rolled down into an awaiting geyser, which launched her into the air. With a satisfied smirk, Yang fired her gauntlets at the screaming girl. The charge exploded into Neon and the buzzer sounded as Yang pumped a fist in victory.

Yang's breathing gradually returned to normal, and her eyes blinked back to lilac purple as she remembered about her teammate. "Weiss!" she shouted, rushing to her dirty teammate's side. "Weiss, are you okay?" she demanded in concern as she lifted the heiress up into a sitting position.

Weiss coughed into her hand, and her voice was weak and scratchy as she replied, "I may not be singing for a while."

Yang's concern gradually melted, and a playful smile spread on her face. "You know, I'm not sure that was proper form," she jokingly teased the heiress.

"Oh, ha, ha," Weiss replied dryly, before she fell into another fit of coughing.

"_Whaaaaaat?!" _shouted a shrill voice from behind them, and Weiss and Yang looked to see Neon staring at them palely, Flynt slowly rising behind her. "We lost? We lost? Team FNKI lost?" Neon cried, pronouncing her team name 'funky.' "That was… that was… _amazing!" _she suddenly cried. "Oh my gosh, you guys were super, crazy awesome, we should _definitely _party together sometime! Right Flynt?" the spastic girl asked, turning to her friend.

Ignoring Neon's suggestion, Flynt stared intently at Weiss' ash-covered form. "That was a gutsy move, Schnee." He paused, a miniscule smirk on his face as he continued, "I dig it."

Accepting the gracious losers, Weiss and Yang smiled and turned to see Ruby and Blake both rush out onto the arena. They knelt by the heiress' side, congratulations and concern both emanating from the two.

"Good job, you two," Blake said.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. Little more was spoken at the moment as the team waited for someone to bring out a stretcher for their slightly injured and weak teammate. Weiss would be fine, but the sacrifice had taken a huge hit, dropping her Aura levels to zero. If she had been any weaker, she could have been seriously hurt. Grateful that she was okay and that they had advanced to the finals round, Team RWBY smiled at each other, sure that nothing would be able to stop them from here on out.

* * *

That evening, Emerald was playing on her Scroll on the floor in Cinder's room. To her side, Mercury was similarly on the floor, instead doing pushups, and on the bed sat Cinder, who fiddled with her own Scroll, overseeing any new developments for the implementation of the plan.

Suddenly, she came upon an interesting file within General Ironwood's personal information database, and she couldn't help it as a surprised "Oh!" escaped her lips.

"What?" asked Emerald, looking to Mercury. A smile from Cinder could mean a myriad of different things.

"Oh, nothing," Cinder said dismissively. We're just going to be making a slight, _hmm… alteration_, in the plan." Cinder smiled down at her screen, upon which was a set of blueprints. The blueprints seemed to display the schematics for some sort of android, a girl by the appearance of the hair and bow. In the top corner of the screen, a series of letters titled the page: _P.E.N.N.Y._

Pausing mid-pushup at her statement, Mercury met Emeralds gaze. "What does that mean?" He resumed his exercise.

Cinder smiled even wider. "It means that this will be even easier than we thought."

* * *

The doors slid open with a quiet _whoosh, _and Qrow's brusque voice behind him stirred him from his contemplation. "You know, he's making you look like a fool."

Ozpin gazed intently over the streets of Vale below Beacon "His heart is in the right place. He's just… misguided."

Qrow disagreed, taking a sip of an unspecified drink. "Sometimes, I'm not even sure he _has _a heart." Qrow shifted his balance before he asked, "So, have you chosen your guardian?"

Ozpin swiveled in his chair, relieved to see that, for once, Qrow appeared to have a simple coffee rather than some alcoholic drink. However, knowing Qrow, there was probably more than coffee in the cup. Focusing on Qrow's question, Ozpin replied, "Maidens choose themselves. I simply believe I've found right candidate.

* * *

Below, in the lobby of the CCT Tower, a lone redhead strode with a confident smile to the elevator, having been summoned by the headmaster. "_Ever since the day I met her, I had the feeling she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, caring…" _Ozpin paused as Pyrrha Nikos pressed the button to the elevator and the door closed behind her. "_But most importantly, she's _ready."


	38. Fall

**Chapter Six: Fall**

"Well, it comes as no surprise that they've chosen you to move on to the final

round of the tournament," Ozpin congratulated with a chuckle to the young warrior seated across from him. "Your performance was exemplary."

Pyrrha Nikos smiled at her headmaster, accepting the praise humbly. "Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I would never have made it this far without my teammates."

"Personally, I think it's the other way around," barked out a gruff voice from behind her. Turning slowly, she noticed a lean man, younger than Ozpin but still middle-aged, who was leaning against a column near the door, a tattered red cape hanging from his neck as he eyed her from beneath his scruffy hair, arms crossed.

Taken aback, but still attempting to be polite, Pyrrha replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Name's Qrow."

Pyrrha looked back to Ozpin for explanation. "Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine," the teacher reassured her.

Still offput by Qrow's short speech, Pyrrha cast him a wary glance before returning her attention to Ozpin. "Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?"

"Please, take a seat," Ozpin said with a warm smile. Pyrrha obeyed, sliding into the chair prepared for her across the desk. Ozpin bridged his fingers before his face as he leaned back. Pyrrha braced for his next words.

She still wasn't prepared for them. "What is your favorite fairy tale?" A slight smile of amusement played on the headmaster's lips as he took in her surprised expression.

"I'm… sorry?"

"Fairy tales, stories from your childhood. Surely you must remember some of them."

Pyrrha thought back to her youth, to bedtime with her mother or father. "Well, there's _The Tale of the Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl in the Tower…"_

Ozpin leaned back in again. "What about _The Story of the Seasons?"_

"Well, of course!" Pyrrha smiled in remembrance, nearly reciting it as she had been told it. "'A callous old man, who refuses to leave his home, is visited by four travelling sisters. The first understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time and solitude to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his gardens. The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him. And the fourth and final sister begs him to look at all he has, and be thankful." Pyrrha smiled as she recounted the climax. "In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over the world. They graciously accept, and the promise to share their gifts with the people of Remnant until the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall: the four maidens. My mother loves that story."

Ozpin gave her a wry grin. "Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?"

Pyrrha giggled slightly. "You're not _that _old, Professor."

The mirth inexplicably dropped from Ozpin's face, and he stared at her with deadly focus. "Well, would you believe me if I told you it was _true?"_

Pyrrha looked at him, certain she had misheard. A small, nervous chuckle escaped her lips as she said, "I beg your pardon?"

Ozpin continued in a teacherly tone, "What if I told you that there _were _four maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power. _Without _Dust."

"You mean… like a Semblance?" Pyrrha asked, still trying desperately to make some sort of sense from what Ozpin was telling her.

The teacher smiled. "Like _magic."_

Pyrrha's face felt hot. She was unsure of how to take this information. She looked down at her hands in confusion. "I…"

"Yeah." Qrow's voice was little consolation as he said, "First time hearing this, it's pretty crazy."

Pyrrha looked away from him and turned back to Ozpin, not even trying to hide her shock. "You're _serious?"_

Ozpin looked her in the eye, his smile gone. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Pyrrha took in his serious gaze. "No," she conceded. Still flustered, she stuttered a bit as she asked, "Why… why are you telling me this?"

Ozpin glanced over her head. Qrow gave him a reassuring nod, before the headmaster refixed Pyrrha's eyes with his own. "We are telling you this, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe you are next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers."

Pyrrha's eyes widened. The curve balls were coming too suddenly. With a start, she realized that he hadn't said himself alone. "'We?'" she repeated unsurely.

Behind them, the elevator door swished open, and she turned and watched as Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood both walked into the office, the General straightening his tie a bit as he said, "Sorry we're late."

Too overcome by the revelations, Pyrrha turned back to her headmaster, narrowing her eyes earnestly. "Wait, what is this? Who _are _you?"

"You know who we are," Glynda said as she and Ironwood were joined by Qrow. She spread her hands, trying to seem reassuring. Understandably, Pyrrha was not comforted. "We're still the same teachers and headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon."

"But we've got a little part-time job," Qrow said in his rough voice.

"We are the protectors of the world," Ironwood said.

"And we need your help," Ozpin finished as he caught Pyrrha's attention again. Pyrrha, for her part, sat in stunned silence, gazing around the room as the adults all intently stared at her in turn.

* * *

Pyrrha's eyes shifted left to right nervously at the group around her as the elevator shot downward. Upon entering, Ozpin had pressed a hidden button, one she had never seen before, and the cubicle had begun to go downward, far longer than usual. Pyrrha felt more than a little anxious and uncomfortable during the silent ride, mind still reeling from the secrets she had been told. The story of the maidens was true, magic existed, she was somehow wrapped up in it all—it made no sense! It was unbelievable; it was impossible.

If it was true, it was frightening.

The elevator continued its beeping as Pyrrha tentatively asked, "Where are we going?"

In a firm voice, Ozpin replied, "The Vault. Under the school."

Eventually, the dinging stopped and the doors slid open, revealing a long, dark hallway, barely lit by the presence of a trail of greenish torches lining each side. The ceiling was too far above to be seen through the darkness, and at the end of the long hallway was an apparent machine, seemingly built of highly sophisticated technology.

All of this, Pyrrha took in with a first glance before she began to walk after the teachers, who had exited the moment the elevator stopped. Still very shocked, Pyrrha had stood in the elevator for a moment to look the room over. Glynda, seeing this, allowed the men to go on ahead and waited for Pyrrha to catch up to her.

As Pyrrha joined in step with the teacher, Glynda said in the same tone she'd used in the office, "I'm sure you must have questions."

Pyrrha looked around the vast expanse of the hallway. "Maybe one or two." The two caught up with the men as Pyrrha began to ask. "I still don't understand," she said, her voice echoing off of the high ceiling. "You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?

Glynda took the initiative. "The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost, and that no individual can hold on to that power forever."

"So, how does the power choose?" asked the young Huntress  
Qrow scoffed towards the women over his shoulder. "Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules."

"_Qrow." _Glynda's voice matched her grimace as she chastised him.

"Hey, don't get mad 'cause I'm right," Qrow shot back with a scowl.

Once again, Glynda began her explanation. "At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more… intimate."

"_In… timate?" _Pyrrha repeated haltingly.

"As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power.""

"Unless it's a dude," Qrow elaborated, "or some old hag. Then the power goes to someone random, and our job gets a lot harder."

Pyrrha finally asked a question that had nagged at her since they had stepped onto the elevator. "Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?"

"Honestly?" Qrow sighed. "We've run out of time. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high, Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent. And it's not going to be long before the peace we've been enjoying for so long goes out the window."

Pyrrha froze at that. "You're not… talking about a war?" Pyrrha had paid enough attention in Dr. Oobleck's class to know that the Great War over eighty years ago had been devastating to all of the kingdoms, with high casualties from both human and Grimm attacks. If that was the implication here…

Ironwood shook his head and replied cryptically, "Not a war between nations."

Qrow looked back at her as they neared the large piece of technology. "We can fill you in on the details once we know that you're with us. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maidens has been attacked. And for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."

The group finally came to a stop before the large machine, and Pyrrha was even further surprised at the sight of it. The large machine appeared to be two capsules with a control panel in the middle. The capsules appeared to join together by a set of cables running up the wall several feet. The capsule to their right was empty, lying dormant and dark. In the left, however, rested the limp, inert body of a young girl. The girl was clothed in simple, white medical clothing across her chest and waist. There were no signs of life from her other than the slight rise and fall of her chest, and a long, spiderweb scar stretched across her face, prominent below her left eye and stretching over her nose and forehead.

Pyrrha looked forward, inspecting the comatose girl. "Is that…?"

Ozpin sighed in confirmation. "The current Fall Maiden. Amber."

Pyrrha hugged her arms around herself, feeling inexplicably intrusive, as if she was interrupting the other girl's rest. "She's… still alive."

"For now." Ironwood's voice was clear and precise as he said, "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is… unprecedented."

Pyrrha looked at him for explanation. "What do you mean?" The General sighed as she asked, confused, "Won't… her power… just transfer to the next host?"

"Look who's been listening!" Qrow said brassly. To Ozpin, quieter, he said, "She _is _smart."

"Under normal circumstances, yes," the General affirmed. "But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker." He looked at Amber's comatose body. "And to make matters worse, no one's seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."

"Her assailant," Pyrrha understood quietly.

"And that," Ozpin replied, turning to her, "would not bode well for any of us."

Pyrrha looked to the unconscious girl in the pod, putting a gentle hand to the glass as she gazed in at Amber. Finally breaking, Pyrrha turned to the group of teachers, her polite tone gone. "If all of this is true, why keep it a secret?!" Her voice echoed off of the walls as she asked, "If this girl is so important, if we're truly on the brink of war… why not tell everyone?"

Glynda waited a moment, then stepped forward. "From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge."

Pyrrha felt herself pale again, thrown off by the answer. "Excuse me?"

Qrow reached into his pocket and retrieved his flask. "How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Even the craziest ones come from somewhere." Qrow popped the lid and lifted it to his lips.

"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind _and _the Maidens," Glynda said. "Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength."

Qrow resumed as he finished his drink. "And as you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the ones you'd want to have unimaginable power."

Now it was Ironwood's turn. "And so our brotherhood chose to remove the maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade away into legend."

To answer Pyrrha's original question, Glynda explained, "the things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history and religion."

"No one would believe us," Ironwood concurred. "It would cause an uproar."

"It would cause panic." Ozpin's voice was deadly serious as he said, "And we all know what _that _would bring clawing at our Kingdoms' walls." He paused and looked away. "Which is why we would like to–"

"I'll do it."

Ozpin stopped short, surprised at the answer. Pyrrha looked at the ground. "If you believe that this will help humanity…" she met their gaze as she finished, "then I will become your Fall Maiden."

The teachers looked amongst themselves, seemingly troubled by her answer. Now unsure again, Pyrrha asked, "That's what you wanted isn't it?"

"It is," Ozpin reassured her as he stepped forward, "but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

Ironwood took his cue. "For the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint: how it works, what it's made of, how it can be used. "We've made… significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it."

"Capture it, and cram it into something else," Qrow said, the contempt clear in his voice as he gestured to Pyrrha. "Or, in your case…"

Pyrrha suddenly stiffened at the implication. "That's—"

"Classified," Ironwood cut her off.

"—wrong!" Pyrrha finished.

Glynda shot a subtle glare at Ironwood. "The feeling is mutual." Her eyes returned to the student's. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And these are indeed desperate times," Ironwood once again agreed. "We can't transfer Amber's power to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"... Her Aura." Pyrrha stared at the General.

"Her life would become intertwined with yours." Ozpin sighed again. "The question is…"

Qrow finished for him. "What's that gonna do to you?" Apparent fear bloomed on the young Huntress' face as she fully appreciated the danger she would be put in.

"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos." Ozpin's gaze was intense as he continued, "There's no guarantee this transfer will work. And there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

Pyrrha was silent, once again turning to the unconscious girl in the capsule. Pyrrha looked at her reflection, seeing her own trepidation in the glass, then looked past it to Amber's scarred and dying face.

"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move," Ozpin said. "And there's no telling when their next move will be."

* * *

Cinder Fall smiled sinisterly as she sat in the stands with the rest of the fans for the main event: the beginning of the finals. Port announced the event from the booth.

"Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The one-on-one finals!"

Across the stage, eight combatants from the original thirty-two teams stood at the ready, among them Yang Xiao Long and Penny Polendina, who both wore confident smiles; Sun Wukong, who appeared laid back and relaxed; an unusually nervous-looking Pyrrha Nikos; and Cinder's own Mercury Black. "Barty!" Port cried from the booth. "Why don't you explain the rules?"

Oobleck obliged in his usual quick tone. "Ah, it's quite simple, Peter. Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined _immediately _before the match takes place!"

"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!" Port said as he took up the rules.

"Ah, yes yes!" Oobleck agreed. "Now, let's see who our first match will be!"

Now, rather than spinning for biomes, the randomizers rotated to select which two competitors would be competing. The arena would noticeably shrink this round, with only the middle segment available, making ring-out elimination that much harder to avoid with the confined space. Around the world, observers watched as the sliders stopped individually on Mercury and Yang.

"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!"

From the stands, Ruby shouted her encouragement. "Break a leg, sis!"

Cinder, eyes glittering as she smirked, stood from the stands and went away to prepare. She was needed elsewhere for the plan, and she was certain that Mercury and Emerald would be able to carry it out to perfection.

"Would all other combatants please leave the stage!" Port commanded. As the other members of the finals strolled off the arena floor, Yang walked forward and stopped several yards away from Mercury. The arena center lifted high into the air, and spotlights instantly fixed on the soon to be combatants.

Yang grinned. "You better not go easy on me."

Mercury chuckled. "You wish."

The two each adopted a fighting stance, slowly easing towards each other as Port counted down. Their hands were nearly touching as he said, "Three! Two! One! Fight!"

Yang and Mercury's shout of power merged into one as they both attacked at the same time, Mercury's boot swinging around him for a flying kick that met Yang's gauntlet in the air. Mercury pulled back to his original starting position and rushed forward. Yang dodged over his second kick with a flip, then came at him with both fists, blasting as they traded blows. Eventually, she caught him in the stomach, right as he clipped her head, and they both went back, creating some distance between the two.

Mercury flipped backwards, then began dodging left and right as Yang fired off Ember Celica. The barrage of Dust rounds sent Mercury scurrying until he leaped forward with a powerful overhead kick. Yang caught the leg with both gauntlets, pushing out to thrust him back into a flip, which he then took into a duck to avoid another shot from her weapons that had been aimed at his head. From his crouch, he kicked up, firing at the same time, with an attack that flipped him away while simultaneously knocking Yang up in the air.

The brawler twisted before she hit the ground, landing on two feet as she came back in for the silver boy, landing punches left and right. Merc was forced back a step, but he quickly went in with his feet, forcing Yang to block. With the onslaught halted, Mercury went low and kicked for her knee, sending her off balance. Yang stumbled but avoided as he kicked down again, firing at his feet.

In an acrobatic display of athletic agility, Mercury kept himself up on his hands as he dodged the shot and twisted nimbly in the air. Still on his hands, Mercury went for her leg, then managed a heavy blow across her face that made her stagger.

Back on his feet, Merc came in with a sideways round kick, then twisted his leg in midair to go for her feet. Yang dodged, before they went back and forth in a brief exchange, Mercury's legs swinging and eventually finding their target as he kicked her in the face. The silver boy dropped to his back and twisted himself back up, but Yang quickly responded in turn with an uppercut and a blow to his stomach that shot Mercury back across the arena. She left him little time to recover from the twin blow as she opened fire, forcing him into a desperate backflip to escape. However, one shot managed to catch him in the chest, and he cried out with a pained gasp as something hard struck his back. It took Merc a moment to realized that he was falling, and that the pain had been his back hitting the edge as he had fallen from the platform.

Thinking quickly, Mercury shifted his body in midair, feet pointed downward, and fired, launching himself back up onto the platform and into the fight. He quickly closed in on his adversary, kicking with blinding speed. Yang tried to keep up, but eventually, the speed was too much and a lucky shot caught her in the face, forcing her back. She quickly dodged again as another charge whizzed by her head.

Mercury smirked. He twisted in a circle, utilizing the same tornado strategy he had in his previous fight with Team CFVY, creating a vortex of Dust and energy around the two fighters. Yang dodged a few stray shots as she rushed in, scoring a few hits before Mercury kicked her into the air and slammed her back down with his legs. Around them, the cyclone of charges collapsed, raining down onto Yang as Mercury turned his back, leaving the white mist to settle as he walked away with a cocky brush of his shoulders.

However, the buzzer had yet to sound. Behind Merc, a large roar was heard, and when he turned back, he came face to face with a red-eyed, fiery-haired Yang Xiao Long, who clenched her teeth and pounded her fists before sprinting forward. Mercury's victorious grin vanished as he quickly put up his guard, but Yang came in even quicker, strength and speed enhanced by the bombardment she had just endured. She easily feinted beneath two of his kicks and went to town, throwing punches left and right, a shot accompanying each blow until she caught him in the torso. Mercury's form shimmered silver as his aura was broken, and then Yang's final right cross put him down for good with a pained shout as he collapsed back against the floor and the buzzer sounded.

"What a way to kick off the finals!" Port cried, and the fans apparently agreed, as their wild cheering at the spectacular match filled the Colosseum. Yang took a deep breath, letting herself calm, before she raised a victorious fist and smiled to the crowd.

The platform lowered as Oobleck announced, "Yang Xiao Long wins!" On screen, Yang's Aura hovered just at sixteen, the minimum, while Mercury's had dropped to zero from the beating he'd just received.

"Yeah, you did it, sis!" Ruby cried from the stands as the arena platform lowered back down to the Colosseum ground

"Way to go Yang!" Blake agreed, clapping. Weiss wore a similarly ecstatic face.

Yang smiled down at her defeated opponent as she wiped her brow. "Better luck next time." With that, Yang began to walk away, while Mercury slowly rose to his feet.

"_There's not going to be a next time, Blondie!"_

Yang turned at his voice and watched as he flew through the air, leg outstretched. With a glare, she lashed out, striking his leg before he could reach her. A loud crack echoed, and she felt something falter beneath his leg as he fell to the ground with a pained scream while the crowd looked on, booing and disapproval filling the Colosseum.

"My word!" Oobleck exclaimed from the booth.

To one of the TV coordinators, Port demanded, "Cut the cameras!"

Far away, on the outskirts of Vale and within the ruined settlement of Mountain Glenn, the Grimm in the area suddenly tensed, perking up as they sensed a massive spike in emotion. They snarled in the direction of the emotion, sensing it emanating from the distant floating stadium in the sky.

Mercury clutched to his leg where Yang had struck. "Ah! My leg! _My leg!"_

"That's what you get, you little–" Yang began as she glared down at him, before metal footsteps around her alerted her to others' presence. She looked up in shock as around her, a circle of AK-200s formed, weapons aimed at her, as well as a human pair of Atlesian soldiers. "Huh?" she said in confusion.

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" one of the men ordered.

"What? Why?" Yang asked to the circle of soldiers pointed at her.

"Mercury!" came a girl's cry as Emerald rushed out to the arena floor, kneeling beside her fallen teammate.

"Why'd she do that?! _Why'd she attack me?!" _Mercury cried in pain as Emerald glared over at Yang.

Yang, confused beyond herself, looked up to the video board, and her face drained of color as an instant replay of the events was shown. On screen, she saw herself standing over a triumphant Mercury. The boy got silently to his feet, and then, without warning, Yang watched in shock as she saw herself lash out, aiming right for his legs as it snapped with a loud crack. His pained cry was repeated on the video, joining in with the echoing boos around the stadium. Yang realized with horror what had happened. Somehow, she had just attacked an innocent boy.

Yang looked to the stands, where Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all looked on, faces twisted in horror as they looked on. Weiss' hand went to her mouth in disbelief, and Blake and Ruby's faces were equally shocked as they met her gaze. Yang looked around, the full impact of what had happened hitting her harder than any kick as she gazed, confused and scared, out into the hostile audience. Her mouth open and eyes wide, Yang looked for answers that weren't there, solutions to a problem that had apparently never existed, and silently wondered what had happened to turn her victory into such a nightmare in the blink of an eye.


	39. Beginning of the End

**Chapter Seven: Beginning of the End**

Memories. Such interesting things. The bricks of a house, the ingredients of a meal, the fragments of the mind that made up the individual. How one might view _her_ memories may depend on their point of view, but what she saw when she looked at them was the key. The key to strength, to respect… to power.

She reminisced on her journey to this point as she awaited the others, remembering the steps in her path that had begun so long ago…

* * *

"I want to be strong."

"_A beautiful ring, for a beautiful woman," _the jeweller had said as he regarded the woman

"_I'm sorry?" _the woman replied.

"I want to be feared."

Surprise, evident in the jeweller's voice. "_What? Impossible! What did…?!"_

A bystander had cried, "_She went that way!"_

"I want to be powerful."

"_Someone, call the police!"_

"_How'd she do that?"_

* * *

**THEN… **

Cinder smirked. "How did you do that?"

The girl cowered at the end of the alleyway, her stance defensive as she faced down the older woman. The teen was poorly clothed, with tight pants and a simple wrapping around her chest. Her hair trailed down her back in two green pigtails, and brown leather holsters, the only items of value on her person, housed a pair pistols of some kind. The young thief glared at Cinder, eyes searching for an escape.

Cinder's voice stopped her even as her hands closed on the handles of her guns. "Don't." Cinder smiled at the girl's apparent frustration. "Unless, of course, you _want _them to hear you." A set of footsteps and a voice crying out for any sign of the missing thief drove her point home.

The beggar let go of her weapons tentatively. "What do you want?"

Cinder stepped forward in the alley, her glass shoes clicking on the ground as she came a bit closer to the orphan. "I've already told you. _And I don't like repeating myself."_

The green-haired girl scowled. "I didn't _do _anything! Just leave me alone!" she spat.

Cinder smiled again. She would not be deterred so easily. An asset had been observed, and she was determined to make use of it. "I know my fair share of liars and thieves. Stealing is an art of patience, coordination, and in a pinch, sleight of hand." Her smile widened at bit as she continued, "But you didn't _steal _the ring in your pocket." At the words, the orphan's hands flew to her pocket, eyes wide as she realized that the older woman knew about her stolen treasure. Cinder continued. "You took it right before the jeweller's eyes… And he _smiled."_

Suddenly even more wary of her accoster than before, the thief's eyes narrowed as she asked intently, "_Who are you?"_

Cinder's smile turned sinister. Yes, this one would be very useful…

* * *

The long period of training had been interesting, as well as effective.

"You will question everything you know."

"_This is impossible!" _the young Emerald had protested, as the Grimm snarled behind them.

Later, much later, when the girl was ready, they had gone for information. For the other one.

"I wish to take on an apprentice," Cinder had said of her next target.

"_He lives in the mountains. With his son," _the man then replied.

"Follow me, and you'll never be hungry again."

And the earnest devotion in her young thief's voice. "_Thank you."_

* * *

The boy was bruised and battered in the face, scowling at them from behind a swollen black eye as he limped forward on two heavily bandaged, badly damaged legs. "What are you lookin' at?!" he demanded, his loud speech heard even over the roar of the fire behind him. He wobbled on his legs, bandages soaked through in blood, yet still managed to make himself appear imposing.

At her side, Emerald was tensed, ready for the first sign of danger, but Cinder observed the situation calmly, analytically. An unexpected development, but again, an asset had been recognized. "I'm looking for Marcus Black," she answered.

The son spat from his bloodied lips to the ground beside him. The roaring fire engulfed the house behind him as he motioned slightly to the side of the small path leading to the flames. "There you go," he replied, gesturing towards the fallen form of the father, unmoving on the ground.

"_That's _the assassin?" Emerald asked in surprise at the dead man's body.

Cinder smiled that same, silken smirk. "And you're his son." The boy wiped his nose, silent. "We saw your fight from the treeline. He's taught you well."

"Guess so."

She grinned. "What's your name."

The boy paused, then allowed, "Mercury."

"_Mercury," _she repeated, testing the name on her lips. Her smile never wavered as she asked, "Tell me, are you _anything _like your father?"

* * *

"_So what's in it for me?" _That had been Mercury's primary question at first: profit, which was understandable, given his upbringing. However, Emerald had not taken kindly to the new addition.

"_We don't need him!" _she had protested to Cinder. "_Everything was going fine– ugh!"_

The slap had been stinging and unexpected, and Cinder's voice had been deadly serious as she quietly commanded, "Do _not _mistake your place!"

The assassin's son had been very useful in finding what they needed. "_My dad always said, 'If you need to know a city, ask the rats.'" _Mercury's effectiveness had been proven when the man in the white coat with the orange hair met with her for the first time.

"_Well," _Torchwick had chuckled, "_hello, gorgeous." _

* * *

"So, let me get this straight."

The man before them paced the length of the tent. Behind her, Mercury and Emerald remained in a bowed position on their knees, while Cinder herself stood and listened to their host's talk. Around them, the guards of the White Fang stood wary for any tricks from the humans, and a large, hulking lieutenant stood alongside them to oversee the meeting.

Hair a fiery red and horns curved and sharp, Adam Taurus continued his speech. "You could've gone to anyone for help. You could've made a deal with a gang leader, paid off some Huntsmen that have strayed from their… _righteous path_… but instead, you choose to seek an audience with me." He paused, expecting her response.

Far more formal than her tone with her subordinates, Cinder politely made her case. "You're the one we need. Your skill, your ability to lead those beneath you. You're an exceptionally valuable man, Adam. And we've put a lot of thought into–"

"Then you're clearly not thinking straight!" The Faunus man angrily silenced her with a raised finger. "If you truly understood me, you would know coming here was a mistake. The White Fang is not an organization for hire. We are a force of _revolution!" _he finished with a clenched fist.

Cinder's negotiating smile never wavered. Bullheaded as his Faunus horns would suggest, Cinder had known beforehand that recruiting the radical young leader would prove challenging. "I believe our plan will benefit all parties involved."

Unsatisfied, Adam continued his pondering pace as Cinder began to elaborate. "I have… an associate in Vale. He and I are working on a revolution of our own. But we can't do it without your forces. We need–"

"What you need… is to leave." Adam clenched his fist now around his holstered weapon threateningly. "You're asking my men to die for your cause… a _human _cause. That is not an idea I am willing to entertain."

Cinder's smile dropped, her displeasure apparent. However, there were other ways to achieve their goals, and the White Fang's support. There was no sense in wasting those chances by entering into a fruitless altercation now. "Very well," she said with a respectful bow.

Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald walked away from the tent and exited the White Fang encampment, Adam watching them go from his tent as they disappeared into the woods.

"What was that about?"

He sighed, turning to meet Blake's amber eyes. "Nothing. We need to finish preparing." Blake followed after him as he began to walk away. "The train will be here at dawn.

* * *

"_So now what?" _Both of her students had accepted defeat, not understanding that diplomacy was merely a first resort.

Mercury had impatiently asked of their next step, to which she reassured him, "There is another task we must attend to."

Once again, they went searching for information; Emerald had played the part perfectly. "_Excuse me, but I'm looking for a friend of mine," _Cinder watching from a distance as the innkeeper smiled. "_Ah, yes. She was just here yesterday."_

"Remember the plan," she had reminded the two a day later as they awaited their prey. "Exactly as discussed. Not a _foot _out of place."

* * *

The sky was gray overhead, a possible storm threatening to erupt, as the lone rider trotted down the old dirt path to the next village on her white horse. The young woman was slowly making her way down the path to the next village, her green cloak billowing slightly behind her in the gentle breeze, while golden armor beneath it clanked as the horse plodded along.

The horse stopped suddenly at the heed of its rider, and both of them looked ahead in the path, where a small girl sat with her knees to her chest, crying next to a broken tricycle. The rider smiled. It wasn't uncommon for children out here in the country to play unobserved, and the fences on either side of the road almost certainly backed up to farmland. As the woman stepped down, several yards away, the sole other occupant of the dirt path watched with determined patience as the rider dismounted to walk over to the child.

Emerald's face was twisted in concentration as she held the illusion, watching as the woman before her knelt with a kind smile to offer an apple to the imaginary child. Not realizing the danger she was in, the rider showed a kind smile to the illusory crying girl, extending the apple to the child's outstretched hands. Emerald's concentration deepened as she prepared to rush the woman, hands slipping to her holsters as her feet kicked up the dust behind her and she sunk into a ready position.

The rider, Amber, the Fall Maiden, seeing the dust that suddenly flew up behind the girl's head, flinched suddenly, then jumped back as the child disappeared, flinging her cloak aside and pulling out a long, brown staff with a red fire crystal attached to the tip. The hallucination broken, Emerald charged forward towards Amber, pistols already out and firing. Amber raised a hand, absorbing each shot in her palm as her horse whinnied in fear and fled, then twirled her staff around herself and thrust it forward, using her powers to unleash a powerful blast of wind that caused Emerald to fly back.

Behind her, footsteps alerted her to another attacker, and Amber quickly spun to intercept Mercury as he jumped at her. Amber caught him on the staff and thrust back, flinging him to the fence before she quickly spun again to send Emerald back with another gust of wind.

Undeterred, Mercury landed on the fence post and launched himself back forward towards the Fall Maiden. Amber quickly turned again and utilized the Dust crystal in her staff, augmented by her own elemental power, to launch a powerful attack of blazing fire at Mercury. The boy hugged his legs protectively to himself as the fire seared away his lower pants, revealing a gleaming set of metal prosthetics that extended from his thighs and protected him from the attack. Emerging from the blaze, Mercury landed a solid kick on Amber that sent her sprawling onto her back, and Emerald complemented by coming down on top of the fallen Maiden with both legs. Emerald jumped over to Mercury, the two youths standing side by side as they watched Amber slowly get to her feet.

Amber's head was bowed, but then it suddenly came up, a look of fierceness on the Maiden's face as power radiated from her eyes. A whirlwind erupted from within her, surrounding the entire area and forcing Emerald and Mercury to cover their eyes from the savagery of it. Amber's eyes continued to blaze with power as the wind dissipated and she slowly rose up into the air. Amber raised her hands as thunder began to rumble accompanied by yellow spikes of lightning. With a mere gesture, Amber hurled a bolt of the power directly at the two teens, shattering the ground where they had been standing as they quickly leaped clear. Thrusting both hands down, Amber allowed the electricity to rain from the clouds, Emerald and Mercury desperately jumping and leaping to different places to avoid the deadly lightning.

Down the path, the mentor watched her students at work, waiting for the moment to strike as the lightning continued to fall.

Emerald and Mercury regrouped and fired their weapons, Mercury spinning on his legs to shoot from his boots as Emerald's pistols hurled their energy towards the Maiden. Amber remained unmoved, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off of a powerful shield of Aura before her, before she lifted a hand again, summoning up now a powerful wind that swept a flurrying storm of leaves up from the ground where they had fallen. Bringing the leaves up above her, Amber unleashed a cold snap that instantly froze the leaves into sharp daggers of ice. With a motion, the Maiden sent the storm of jagged leaves towards her two attackers, and Emerald cried out in pain as the cold blades began their assault. Mercury did his best to shield himself behind his metal legs, but some of the razor sharp leaves slipped past still, chipping away at his Aura.

Suddenly, a flash of movement at the edge of her vision distracted Amber from her assault. Amber turned to see Cinder sprinting into the fray, swords fastened to her back. Amber summoned up a ball of fire and hurled it at Cinder, but the woman easily hurdled it and raised an arm. The golden designs on her sleeve glowed with her ring as she suddenly materialized dozens of small shards of glass into the air, and with a motion, hurled them at Amber. The Fall Maiden brought up her arms to protect herself, but was taken off guard and knocked to the ground.

Amber looked up, scanning the area for any sign of her assailants, who had disappeared. The path ahead was empty, but Amber's eyes widened as Emerald suddenly appeared against one fence post. Amber gasped as Mercury appeared across the path a moment later, followed by the blurred form of a sprinting Cinder winking in and out of existence as she ran forward, swords now drawn in each hand. Emerald and Mercury were close behind as she engaged Amber. The mentor attacked the Maiden, but Amber was able to impressively deflect or block every attack before the blades could slice her, a kick to Cinder's torso causing her to slide back as Emerald and Mercury jumped in to take her place.

With their target occupied by her subordinates, Cinder latched her swords together at the hilts and retrieved three arrows from her quiver on her back, taking aim with the sharpened bow towards the battling Amber.

Emerald and Mercury had been valiantly fighting against the Maiden, but Amber forced them back from her. Too easily. Too late, Amber realized that Emerald and Mercury had fallen back out of range, and as she turned with a gasp towards their leader, Cinder smiled and fired her arrows. The three arrows landed in a triangular position around Amber, and the whirling red circle of a pyro mine appeared at the tip of each. Amber's desperate attempt to draw her hands to her face for protection proved futile as the arrows exploded, shattering her Aura with an orange-brown shimmer over her body as she screamed in agony and fell back to her hands and knees.

Cinder's eyes narrowed as she took in the weakened Maiden, Mercury and Emerald waiting dutifully behind her and following after as she began to walk forward towards Amber's panting form. With an apparent burst of energy, Amber suddenly rose to one knee and thrust out her hand, a whoosh of wind flying towards the attacking trio. Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were all taken off guard, each flying back as Cinder's bow stuck upright in the ground. Mercury attempted to recover, rushing forward to Amber, but the Maiden's eyes lit with fiery power as she launched a lightning bolt towards the young man and threw him backwards. Suddenly, Amber turned and launched a fireball at Emerald, who had sneaked around the back of her. The illusion disappeared, and the true Emerald suddenly appeared to the right, the surprise from the collapse of her generated illusion leaving an opening for a second fireball to knock her flat.

Amber winced in pain, clutching to her side with an arm as she knelt to the ground and picked up her dropped staff from earlier. The red jewel in the staff ground into dirt as Amber used the staff as support to make her way towards Emerald, who was beginning to rise. The illusionist looked up to Amber, who towered over her furiously, as the Maiden raised her staff overhead and prepared to bring it down on the thief.

_Thunk._

Amber gasped, eyes wide, and fell to her knees with a pained cry, an arrow protruding from her upper back. Behind her, Cinder smiled victoriously and discarded her bow to the side, no longer necessary for what was about to happen. As discussed, Emerald and Mercury each took Amber by an arm and forced her to her knees before Cinder, who calmly looked down at the vanquished Maiden and pulled a white cloth from her pocket. The cloth unfolded to reveal a long, white glove with a sinister, eye-like red sigil on the back of the hand as Cinder slid it onto her arm. Without words, Cinder extended her hand to Amber, palm facing the defeated girl.

Amber watched, wide eyed with terror, as, from Cinder's palm, a small, dark red portal materialized. Within the small, whirling vortex, a shape wriggled out into the light, revealing itself to be a small, Grimm beetle of some kind.

The horror was evident in the Maiden's voice as Amber quietly begged in a whisper, "Please, don't!"

Heedless of the Maiden's plea, the beetle spat a dark, tar-like web that wrapped around Amber's face. Where the web touched, power glowed from within her, and Amber screamed in agony, her uncovered right eye blazing with power that was beginning to fade, travelling up the webbing connecting the glove to the Maiden. The power continued to travel up Cinder's arm and into her body, and the woman smiled sinisterly as she felt her own right eye alight with the sudden surge of power. Beneath her, a twisting, red shape on the ground mirrored the one in her palm as a sudden shower of sparks spawned from her now empowered form and Amber's scream faded. The girl's eye slowly drifted closed.

There was almost no time to react. The only indication of the attack was the sudden, running footsteps that were rapidly approaching. Cinder gasped and withdrew her hand as a man suddenly leaped high, large broadsword with a clockwork gear at the hilt in hand. The Huntsman sliced downward between Cinder and her victim, slicing the webbing apart and forcing the now half-Maiden and her underlings to jump back.

Qrow Branwen caught Amber before she fell. The girl was comatose, and where the webbing had made contact with her face, the skin was discolored in a large crisscrossed scar.

On Cinder's arm, the glove, having served its purpose, slowly dissolved into nothing. On her back, a black tattoo suddenly appeared between her shoulder blades. Cinder smiled sinisterly as she looked up to Qrow and Amber, one eye glowing. She stood and raised her arms above herself, luxuriating in her newfound power.

Qrow squinted at the woman's face, trying to make out any details, but a shimmer in the air obstructed his view, hiding her identity. Beneath him, the ground suddenly glowed with a pyro mine, and Qrow quickly leaped to the side, leaving the ground to explode behind him. When he looked up again, the woman was gone, along with her two followers, leaving him alone with the unconscious body of Amber in his arms.

* * *

Beautiful. Yet incomplete.

"The Huntsman severed the connection before it was complete."

A question.

"Yes. It's an emptiness. It burns. Like hunger." She had thought for a moment. "I like it."

Then, instructions.

"Yes. I will claim what is ours." Cinder had smiled as she bowed with respect. "Thank you."

* * *

"_Yang Xiao Long wins!" _The announcement, ringing through the stadium.

"_Yeah, you did it sis!" _

A muttered, hallucinated threat. "_There's not going to be a next time, Blondie!"_

Mercury, leaping forward. Xiao Long, as she turned with anger, and the powerful blow that echoed around the Colosseum with a crack, accompanied by Mercury's pained cry.

"_Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" _The soldiers, surrounding the confused girl.

And Mercury's perfect acting. "_My leg! MY LEG!" _

* * *

**NOW…**

Mercury hugged his injured leg to himself in pain with Emerald at his side, appearing frantic. Yang looked on, still in shock, past the ring of guards around her, watching in horror as two paramedics rushed onto the arena floor, a stretcher between them.

"Please, somebody help him!" Emerald cried out. "Can you do something?"

One of the men looked to Mercury's leg, where skin and blood were visible at a rip in the fabric. He exchanged a serious gaze with his partner. "We need to get this boy to a hospital."

The paramedics quickly moved Mercury to the stretcher, Emerald keeping pace with them as they raced out of the battleground, leaving Yang behind in the middle of the circle of guards.

"You don't understand!" Yang pleaded. She pointed to Mercury as he was carried away. "He attacked me, I swear!"

"Stow it!" one of the guards said. "You've already caused enough of a scene.

* * *

And here they came.

Emerald hurried to keep pace with the medics as they ran through the halls of the stadium, searching for a medical Bullhead to transport Mercury to a hospital. As they passed a tunnel, a voice called out from nearby, and they turned to a woman dressed in similar medical clothing who motioned to them. "Here! We've got an ambulance ready to go!"

The door to the airship ambulance closed. One of the original paramedics sighed, speaking to the woman. "Hope they'll be okay. That girl won't leave his side."

Cinder smiled, nodding her head beneath her medical cap. "We'll take good care of both of them."

The airship took off a moment later with Cinder inside, bound for Vale. Mercury continued to moan from the back. "Oh, doc! Tell me: will I ever walk again?" Beside him, Emerald punched him for his antics. "Ow! What's your deal?"

"Ugh, headache." Emerald's eyes rolled up in pain as she put a hand to her forehead. "One mind I can handle, but two is a stretch."

"Well, you all performed marvelously," Cinder noted from the copilot's seat with satisfaction. "Driver included," she added, nodding to the girl piloting the craft.

The pilot nodded with a typically silent smile in response, eyes shifting from magenta to brown and pink as she blinked.

"So, you think it worked?" Mercury asked.

* * *

The TV in the hideout flicked onto the Vale News Network, and Lisa Lavender's face filled the screen as the anchor began, "_A terrible tragedy took place this afternoon in the one-on-one rounds of the Vytal Festival Tournament."_

The station changed to an interview on another news channel with a tourist from Haven. "I don't know what Beacon's headmaster is teaching his students," the man said, "but that was disgraceful! Completely uncalled for!"

The channel flipped again. Now, a zoomed-in aerial shot of Mountain Glenn was displayed, showing dozens of Grimm as they swarmed over the ruined settlement towards Vale, attracted by the surge in negative emotion. The newscaster was saying, "Despite Atlas reinforcements, local authorities are still calling on any available Huntsmen to aid in suppressing the spike in Grimm activity."

The TV suddenly winked off, and Mercury, who had been flipping through channels as he tinkered with the repairs to his damaged prosthesis, protested to Emerald, "Hey! I was watching that!"

"Shut up," she replied.

"Is this how you treat a patient?" Mercury said with mock indignance. In response, Emerald reached to his hand and gave the screwdriver in it a sharp twist, and he flinched in pain. "Ah, too tight!" he growled.

"Enough." Cinder's voice immediately silenced them both. "Our Mercury put on a wonderful show." She smiled. "He was quite brave."

Mercury looked at Emerald pointedly. "These things aren't exactly cheap, you know," he reminded her, gesturing to the parts strewn on the table.

Ignoring him, Emerald turned to her mentor. "So, what's next?"

"You and I will ensure that our next matchup goes just as smoothly."

Cinder turned, Emerald moving after her, as Mercury called out, "What about

me?"

Cinder looked to him. "_You _get to lay low until the end. We wouldn't want people

to see you on your feet and have this all be for naught, now would we?"

Mercury smirked. "Can do," he replied, going back to work on his leg as Cinder and Emerald left to initiate the next step in the plan.


	40. Destiny

**Chapter Eight: Destiny**

The door to Team RWBY's room was flanked on both sides by an Atlesian Knight-200, who stood guard as within the room, General Ironwood had a talk with the students.

"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice," Ironwood said.

Yang, being understandably upset, threw up her hands in frustration. "But he _attacked _me!"

The General was pacing the length of the room and avoiding her eyes, and the rest of Team RWBY sat on their beds, watching the meeting. Ruby was staying protectively by Yang's side, while Blake and Weiss sat by each other on the other bed. Ironwood replied, "Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise."

"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss protested, defending her friend.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed, standing from her position.

Yang put her head down in her hands as Ironwood turned back to the team. "You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did… under _normal _circumstances."

Ruby retook her seat as the General continued. "What I believe – and hope this to be – is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgement can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there." Ironwood looked away, his right shoulder slightly twitching. "Even after the fight is past."

"But I wasn't–"

"That's _enough!" _Ironwood's voice was stern as Yang let her argument drop. The girls were all silent for a moment, before he went on, "The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that…" The General looked down. "You are disqualified."

Ironwood turned on his heel and went to the door, leaving a devastated Yang and a heartbroken Team RWBY in his wake. The door shut, and Yang looked to her friends. "You guys believe me, right?" she asked quietly.

"Duh!" Ruby said.

"You're hotheaded," Weiss agreed, "but not ruthless."

There was no third answer. Yang looked up expectantly. "Blake?"

Blake, who had been silent for the duration of Ironwood's talk, was looking down at her knees. At her name, she looked up slightly, briefly made eye contact, then looked down and away again. Seeing this, Weiss and Ruby exchanged a glance, shocked.

"I want to believe you…"

"Huh?" Ruby said.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded angrily.

Surprised and freshly hurt at this statement by her friend, Yang couldn't help her eyes from tearing up as she again asked, "Blake?" Her voice wavered slightly.

Blake remained silent, glancing up again at Yang.

Weiss, still stunned by Blake's lack of encouragement, asked indignantly, "How can you say something like that? Yang would _never _lie to us!"

That drew Blake's attention. Upon hearing the words, Blake looked up to meet the heiress's gaze, then let out a deep breath. "I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual. Little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry.

"At first they were just accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right." Blake paused, gathering her words. "This is all just… very familiar." She looked up, met Yang's eyes as tears began to fall down her friends face, and seriously continued, "But you're _not _him. And you've never done anything like this before. So… I want to trust you; I _will _trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that _he _attacked _you_. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did."

Yang sniffed and wiped her eyes. She steadied her voice, and then replied, "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back."

Blake let out another deep breath and shut her eyes, a small smile finally breaking on her face. She looked back up to Yang. "Okay. Thank you."

Yang looked back down at her feet. "I think I'm gonna rest up."

The rest of the team stood, smiling sympathetically. "We'll get out of your hair," Blake said.

* * *

The door clicked shut, the last sight of her sister being Yang as she slumped forward on her bed. Ruby looked down with a small frown as she turned to Blake and Weiss.

Weiss sighed. "This is a mess," she mused with a shake of her head.

"She doing okay?"

The girls turned to Jaune, who had opened JNPR's door and stood peering around it, with Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha doing the same behind him.

"She's doing the best she can," Blake answered quietly.

Ruby added, "I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him on what happened." She shrugged.

From within the dorm, Ren called out, "If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Alright then," Ruby said, staring at her feet. "If that's the case… Pyrrha?" she continued, looking up to her friend.

Pyrrha had been seated on a bed inside of the dorm room. She seemed distracted from the conversation and looked up at her name's mention. "Hm?"

Ruby did her best to smile and said, "You be sure to win one for Beacon, okay?"

"It's what Yang would want," Weiss agreed.

Pyrrha looked away for a moment, not wanting the others to see the trepidation and confusion on her face. When she looked back, it almost felt like she was wearing a mask of her old self. Her smile, her eyes, everything about her felt right as she said, "I'll… do my best." So why did it feel so wrong?

Heedless of Pyrrha's internal struggle, Ruby called to her, "I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!"

Unable to maintain the mask, Pyrrha looked down quickly to hide her frown.

Blake looked to her teammate. "Sorry, but I think I've had enough fighting for one year."

"Ditto," Weiss agreed with an affirmative nod. She suddenly brightened as an idea sprung to mind. "Coffee?"

Blake matched her smile. "Tea."

The three girls walked down the hall, and Jaune closed the door after Ruby's red hood disappeared around the corner. Pyrrha was still staring at the floor, concern evident on her face. Suddenly, she jumped back as something quick and orange appeared in her face.

Nora wore a maniacal grin as she said, "You heard the lady! No more messing around!" She pointed at Pyrrha. "We gotta get your butt in shape for the big fight!" Nora began to do random exercises in place as she talked. "It could be today! It could be tomorrow! It could be the most important fight of your entire life!"

Despite her circumstances, Pyrrha gave a small smile at Nora's antics. "Um…"

"Nora's right." Pyrrha turned to Ren, who had quietly spoken up from the other side of the room. He had put on his apron, which was pink and read _PLEASE DO NOTHING TO THE COOK. _"You can't let your concern for Yang hold you back," the quiet boy continued. "You need to focus. You'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy."

"Of course," Pyrrha began again with a nod, "I–"

Ren cut her off, extending to her a glass with a smelly, green substance within. "This blend of herbs and vegetables is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well being."

"Oh, that's…"

"Please," Ren said with a self-satisfied smile. "There's no need to thank me."

"_Thank _you? _Ugh!" _Nora piped up, warily taking in the goopy smoothie in Ren's hand. "That looks like slime from a lakebed."

Not bothering to answer her accusation, Ren replied, "Algae contains numerous spectacular qualities. See for yourself."

Nora uneasily took a sip of the offered drink, then instantly went green in the face. "Bleagh!" she cried, running to the trash can and kneeling over it as she coughed up the smoothie. Once again amused, Pyrrha gave a silent chuckle as Nora whirled on Ren and cried, "_What is wrong with you?!"_

"Me?" Ren asked, motioning to himself. "You're the one that wasted perfectly good juice."

"We're supposed to help Pyrrha, not _poison _her!" Nora protested.

As the back and forth continued, Pyrrha's face fell again, past the small humor of Ren and Nora. Jaune took note of it and looked on in concern as the other two continued.

"There was absolutely _nothing _wrong with that," Ren said, defending his creation.

Nora's hands went to her hips. "If it looks the same coming up as it does going down, then something's wrong."

Suddenly, Jaune cut in on the discussion. "Hey, how about we get some fresh air?" Pyrrha glanced gratefully up at him, and he gave a cheery smile in return that eventually reflected itself on her face.

* * *

Team JNPR walked happily towards the Beacon fairgrounds, Nora skipping along beside Ren, while Pyrrha and Jaune brought up the rear. From above, Yang looked forlornly down through the window as she sat on the bed and watched as her friends went off to have their fun.

"Hey there, firecracker."

The childhood nickname doing little to lift her from her glum state, Yang didn't bother to turn around as she sighed. "Hey, Qrow."

Her uncle gave a small chuckle from behind her at her abrupt answer, before he asked, "So, why'd you do it?"

Yang paused. She had said this too much in the past twenty-four hours. "You know why."

Qrow stared at her seriously. "All I know is that you attacked a helpless kid. So either you're lying, or you're crazy." He smirked.

"I'm _not _lying." That much she knew, and she made it abundantly clear as she met her uncle's gaze.

Qrow made a small sound. "Crazy, got it." He slowly sauntered towards her, hands pocketed, and waited for a response.

Yang looked back down at her feet. "Who knows. Maybe I am."

Qrow shook his head in mock disappointment. "And here I thought your dark-haired friend was the emo one." He paced back and forth, stopping by her bed to turn back to the doorway.

"I saw my mom."

That brought him up short. Qrow was usually pretty good at concealing his emotions, but even he couldn't hide the surprise in his stance or on his face as he turned to face his niece.

"I-I was in a lot of trouble," Yang said, looking away. "Took a pretty hard hit. But when I came to, the person attacking me was gone. And I thought I saw… her. Her sword, like the one in you and dad's old picture." She looked at Qrow, who had his back to her.

The small sound escaped him again. "_Tch, _you're not crazy, Yang." He turned towards her, a small, sad smile confirming her suspicions. "That was your mom, alright. Let me guess, she didn't say a word, did she?"

He walked over to her as she asked, "How did you know that?"

Qrow's smile turned sheepish as he explained, "I don't see my sister very often but she does try to keep in touch… whenever it suits her."

Yang sat up, stunned. This she hadn't known at all. "Wait, you mean you _talk _to her?" she said accusingly. "That was real?"

"Yeah," he admitted, "she found me. Had a tip from my most recent assignment, and wanted me to give you a message."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Yang demanded.

Qrow waited a moment, walking to the window, then replied, "I was tryin' to wait for the right moment, and this sure ain't it. But I guess you deserve to know." Her uncle looked at her with deadly seriousness. "She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again.

"Raven's got an interesting way of looking at the world that I don't particularly agree with, and she's dangerous." Qrow looked at her with a smile and pointed to her. "But you're a tough egg, kiddo. Shouldn't let this tournament thing get'cha down." His tone was reassuring as he said, "You had a slip-up – sometimes bad things just happen. I say, it's time you move on."

"Move on to what?" she asked.

Qrow placed his arms on the windowsill and looked out over the school grounds. "Well, Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you ever wanna track her down, I think I might be able to help."

Yang stared at him. All of this time, all the years of searching, and now, she finally had a clue. A lead, something to grasp onto, something she could use to track her mother down.

But not now. The tournament was still underway, and afterwards, the team still had years of school left.

But at least she knew where to start.

* * *

Leaning back against the wall to the cafeteria building, Pyrrha sat alone, pondering in silence the immense choice that lay before her. All she had ever wanted to do was help people; now, Ozpin and his group were offering her the chance to do just that. It shouldn't have even been a decision.

So why was she having so much difficulty deciding?

A gentle breeze brought a fallen leaf, golden-brown with the season, drifting lazily through the air to land beside her hand. Unbidden, a memory of the comatose girl in the capsule beneath the school sprung to mind, and Pyrrha grimaced as she looked down at the leaf in sudden dread of what it represented.

"Hey!"

Pyrrha looked up suddenly. Jaune stood over her, his outstretched hand offering her a large stick of cotton candy. "It's no green goop, but I think it still might do some good," he said with a smile.

Pyrrha looked at him for a few heartbeats before she tentatively reached out and accepted the sugary treat, still not smiling herself. "Um, right. Thank you, Jaune."

Jaune's smile vanished as he gazed upon her still-worried expression. He looked to the right and noticed as Nora and Ren walked around the building, the latter's arms full of goodies won at the fairgrounds. Nora glanced over to them and stopped, a smile blooming on her face as she took in the scene. Not wishing to interrupt, the girl took her friend by the arm.

"Uh… come on, Ren! Let's go back to the fairgrounds! I'll win you another stuffed animal." With that, Nora dragged Ren back around the corner, leaving Pyrrha and Jaune to their discussion.

Jaune slowly slid down the wall, coming down next to Pyrrha. He glanced at her. "You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that?" She looked back at him as he gave a small chuckle at the memory. "Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon, the told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home. How depressing is that?"

Slowly, Pyrrha said, "I'm sure… they didn't mean—" she cut off with a small gasp of surprise. Looking down to her side, she noticed Jaune's hand on top of hers on the ground. The cotton candy dropped from her other hand; she looked up at him as he continued, seemingly oblivious to her surprise.

"I guess…" the blond leader began, "I'm just trying to say that… you've always been there for me. Even when I didn't deserve it," he added, thinking back to his days with Cardin. "And I can tell there's something on your mind. So… I don't know. How can I help?" he finished, looking into her eyes.

Pyrrha's face finally melted into a genuine smile as she slowly leaned over and placed her head on Jaune's shoulder with a close-eyed face of contentment. Jaune looked uncertain for a moment, but then relaxed as she said, "You're already doing it."

Jaune smiled, finally successful in cheering her, and for a long moment, the two friends just sat there, happy to be together.

The breeze picked up, and a second leaf was blown by to join the first, the small scraping sound rousing Pyrrha from her happy position as she was reminded of her daunting task. "Jaune…" she began, her face frowning once more.

"Hmm?" he asked.

Pyrrha lifted her head from his shoulder and quickly removed her hand from under his as she looked away. "I don't know what to do."

Jaune looked to her, confused. "W-what do you mean?"

Pyrrha stared towards the sky, which was beginning to fade into the beautiful, dusky colors of an autumn evening, gold and red mixing to form a fire in the sky. Pyrrha stared at the tapestry above, musing aloud to her friend, "Do you believe in destiny?"

Not expecting the question, Jaune stumbled for a moment. "Um… I-I don't know. I guess that depends on how you view it," he answered with a shrug.

The two autumn leaves on the ground blew away on another breeze as Pyrrha said, "When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather… some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life."

Trying to follow her, Jaune thought for a moment before responding sincerely, "Okay. Uh, yeah, I can see that, sure."

"Well…" Pyrrha struggled for the right words. "What would you do if something came along that you… never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"

"Like what?" he asked.

Not regarding his question, Pyrrha's voice rose with slight hysteria as she straightened suddenly. "Or, what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?" At the sentence, Pyrrha shivered, for reasons other than the breeze.

Jaune tried to place a hand on her shoulder. "Pyrrha, you're not making any sense."

She shrugged away from his hand, standing up and walking away, arms crossed over herself like they had been down in the Vault. "None of it makes sense!" she said, her voice high and thick with emotion as she struggled not to cry. "This isn't how things were supposed to happen!"

Behind her, Jaune stood, arms outstretched. "I'm sorry, please!" he pleaded with her gently. "I-I'm just trying to understand what's wrong."

Somehow managing to contain herself and calm her voice, Pyrrha replied without turning to him, "I've always felt as though I was destined to become a Huntress, to protect the world." She sighed. "And it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But…" She finally turned to him, despair in her voice and on her face. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Of course you can." She looked up sharply at his answer. Jaune smiled at her as he continued, "The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge. And if you really believe it's your destiny to save the world…" he moved a step closer to her. "You can't let anything stand in your way."

Including himself.

At the sudden revelation, Pyrrha's eyes widened as she finally broke, covering her mouth with both hands as she quietly began to weep.

Jaune looked on in concern, uncertain of what he had done. "Pyrrha?"

"Stop," she begged quietly from behind her hands, turning from him.

Heedless of her plea, Jaune took another step closer, hand outstretched. "Did I day something wrong?"

"_Stop!" _she cried, thrusting a hand outward. Her Semblance flared up unintentionally, black energy surrounding her hand as well as Jaunes metal chestplate and sending him flying backward into the wall, several feet off the ground. The wall cracked under the force, but Jaune's Aura took the brunt of the hit as he gazed dazedly down at his friend.

Hearing the crack, Pyrrha's eyes shot open as she realized what had happened. "Jaune!" she cried, yanking her hand back as if it had been burned as he tumbled to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. He looked up at her, more confused than ever, and Pyrrha shattered completely, her voice breaking as the tears streamed down her face. "I'm… "I'm sorry…" she sobbed, before she turned and ran, sprinting in the opposite direction.

"Pyrrha, wait!" he cried after her, an arm extended to her disappearing form. Pyrrha didn't listen, turning the corner and vanishing from sight as his arm dropped uselessly to his side. His head bowed in utter despair. "What did I say?" he wondered sadly to himself.

* * *

Around the landing docks of Beacon, students were bustling about, anxiously awaiting the next matchup tonight in Amity Colosseum above. Despite the tragedy of the night before, many a spirit had brightened at the news that the Vytal Festival tournament would continue, unimpeded, with the six remaining contestants.

Velvet Scarlatina stood in the middle of the crowds, snapping pictures with a small, gold and brown camera of students and weapons. She heard footsteps from behind and turned to find Ruby Rose standing to her back. A smile appeared on her face as the soft spoken girl recognized her friend. "Ruby!" she said brightly, "how's it going?"

"Hi, Velvet!" the younger girl replied with a friendly wave. "What're you up to?"

"Oh, you know, just working on my photography," the rabbit Faunus replied, clearly enjoying herself. "Do you wanna see?" Ruby leaned in enthusiastically to look at the latest picture she had taken. The picture was a bit haphazardly showing Sun Wukong, who had walked by a few moments ago with his weapon slung over his shoulder. However, Velvet's photo had failed to capture Sun's full form, instead only catching a tilted view of the nunchucks he carried.

Not wishing to be rude, Ruby eyed the picture with an uncomfortable smile as she said, "That's, ah… better!"

Unnoticing of Ruby's forced expression, Velvet's smile drifted into a concerned frown as she said, "I'm… sorry about your sister. Is she doing okay?"

Ruby looked down a bit, but replied with a grateful, "Yeah, she's fine. Thanks."

Velvet reached around and replaced her camera in its storage box on her back as she continued, "I think it's just awful what people are saying about her. Yang's such a nice person."

Ruby laughed a little as she rubbed her neck. "Well, I'm glad someone thinks so."

Velvet shook her head. "Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield," she said, arms crossed. "I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone."

Ruby tilted her head a bit, hearing this for the first time. "Coco?"

"Yeah!" Velvet said. "She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently."

Ruby looked away for a moment. "Yeah…" she said slowly. This new information got her thinking. Now there were two mysterious incidents with Mercury and Emerald that involved someone seeing things. Ruby thought back to how vehement Yang was that Mercury had attacked her, and she believed her sister completely.

But now Ruby paused. What if Yang had seen something that was never really there?

A click and a flash of light startled her. As her head turned back to Velvet. The rabbit-eared girl had taken a quick picture of Ruby while she was distracted, and the older girl offered a sheepish smile. "Oh, sorry!"

* * *

The sun had set over Beacon Academy by the time Ruby made it to her seats. There were still a few minutes left before the match tonight was scheduled to start, and already, fans were cheering wildly from the stands for their chosen students. Yang was still feeling down and didn't think she'd be welcome back in the Colosseum after the previous day's fiasco, and Blake and Weiss had decided to grab a drink together in the fairgrounds, away from the noise of the Colosseum, leaving Ruby as the only member of her team in attendance.

The reaper had put her earlier suspicions aside about Emerald and Mercury, choosing instead to focus on the rest of the tournament. Waiting for the randomization process to start, Ruby smiled as she looked out over the Colosseum. Out on the floor, the contestants were loosening up in case they were picked, and students in the stands cheered them on. Ruby looked across the arena, searching for anyone she knew in the crowd. Maybe she could go sit by someone; she always hated being alone at these types of events. However, Ruby's wandering gaze suddenly came to a stop, and she sat forward in open-mouthed disbelief as she spotted a familiar, ebony-skinned girl with green hair sitting on the other side of the Colosseum.

"Emerald's… _here?" _Ruby muttered to herself in confusion. The entirety of Mercury's team had been forced to return to Haven—she had told Jaune as much earlier in the day—so how was it that Emerald was sitting across the stadium, leaning forward with narrowed eyes as she surveyed the battlefield?

Her suspicions renewed, Ruby got up from her seat and headed for a maintenance tunnel, which she knew would be less crowded. She didn't really have a plan, but she knew that with these new revelations, she needed to get to someone of authority. Professor Ozpin was still at Beacon, watching the broadcast from his office, but maybe she could find General Ironwood in the crowd, or perhaps she could get to the announcers' booth and talk to Professor Port or Dr. Oobleck.

As Ruby began to walk down the maintenance tunnel, her footsteps echoing through the empty space, those same two teachers' voices were heard, muffled by the wall. "All right!" Oobleck was saying, "it's now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!"

The spinning of the randomizers also faintly came through the walls as Ruby continued onward until, in front of her, another door opened in the side of the hallway. Ruby gaped in alarm as out of the door strode Mercury Black, definitely uninjured and smiling menacingly at her.

"Mercury?" she said in quiet surprise, squinting as if he were an apparition that might disappear at any moment.

Both of them looked towards the inner wall as Port announced, "It looks like our first contender is… Penny Polendina from Atlas!"

Returning her attention to the boy before her, Ruby looked at him seriously. This situation looked very, very bad. "What are you doing?"

The announcers caught her attention again as Port said, "And her opponent will be… Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"

Ruby looked down for a moment, and when her head came back up, terror evident on her face at the realization, she whispered a horrified, "No!"

Mercury finally spoke, putting a hand to his chin in mock thought. "Ooh, polarity versus metal." He hissed with a grin. "That could be bad…"

Ruby glared in anger at Mercury, her hand dipping to grab the handle of Crescent Rose on her back… before she realized that it wasn't there. She hadn't brought it with her to the Colosseum because she wasn't fighting tonight. Wide-eyed, she stared at Mercury, who gaze hardened into a grin as he set himself in a fighting stance.

Out in the Colosseum, the arena floated slowly upward, Pyrrha and Penny the only occupants of its white surface. Penny grinned, oblivious to any of the terror that Ruby was feeling. In the stands, Nora tried to coax Ren into joining her in her wild cheering, as Pyrrha, still ashamed of herself and feeling more uncertain and alone than ever, looked down to her feet and waited for the fight to begin.


	41. PvP

**Chapter Nine: PvP**

Ozpin walked to his desk, the gears of the clockface built into the tower slowly turning and clanking. Ozpin sat down behind his desk, a fresh cup of coffee in hand, as he watched the screen before him, displaying the Vytal Festival Tournament. Oobleck was saying over the broadcast, "Alright, it's now

time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!"

Port picked up the announcing as the randomizers spun to a stop. "It looks like our first contender is… Penny Polendina of Atlas! And her opponent will be… Pyrrha Nikos, from Beacon!"

Ozpin intently watched as the screens flashed the two combatant's faces.

* * *

In the arena, Penny smiled at her newest opponent. "Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos! It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Pyrrha remained silent, looking down at her hands. Hands that, mere hours ago, had held her leader pinned to a building. Pyrrha desperately clenched her hands into fists, trying to do anything she could to get her mind on the battle.

Penny remained oblivious. "This is going to be so much fun!"

* * *

"Mercury, what are you doing?" Ruby asked within the maintenance tunnel. "You were hurt! Why…" Her gaze narrowed. "What's going on." The silver boy grinned in silent response. "Fine," the young reaper said, "if you're not going to tell me…" She moved to the side, trying to bypass him, but he slid right back in front of her. She tried again, but he continued to match her movements.

Out in the arena, Oobleck called, "Fighters, are you ready?"

Penny gave an affirmative nod, her smile still beaming, as Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and shook away the day, focusing on the here and now.

"Three…"

In the stands, James Ironwood leaned back in his chair, ready to observe Penny's combat potential.

"Two…"

Nora and Ren both cheered for Pyrrha from their seats, while at their side, Jaune looked on in concern, uncharacteristically quiet as he watched her, still worried after her outburst earlier that afternoon.

"One…"

Emerald leaned forward eagerly in her seat, a glare fixed on her face.

"Begin!" cried Oobleck.

Penny summoned forth her swords from her backpack. The blades danced elegantly around her in a circle, before, with a simple motion, she sent them flying forward towards her opponent. Pyrrha clenched her fists around Miló and Akoúo̱ as she charged forward through the storm of metal, blocking some and deflecting others as she closed in on Penny. The blades flew under the control of their master, instantly spinning back into their line and zipping back into the fight.

* * *

Mercury smirked. "Showtime."

Ruby began to move left to right, trying to find an opening, but Mercury had his arms outstretched in front of her, cutting her off like a goalie. In an attempt for surprise, Ruby dashed forward, becoming a whirlwind of red rose petals with her Semblance, but Mercury expertly caught her mid-sprint and batted her back with his boots. Coming forward towards her, he lifted his leg and fired a shot that shattered Ruby's scroll in her hand, preventing her from calling for her weapon.

"Let's just keep this between us friends," the silver boy suggested, before he moved forward on the attack again.

* * *

The occupants of the Colosseum were blissfully unaware of the far more important battle taking place within the floating stadium's maintenance halls, ogling in awe at the match playing out before them.

Pyrrha had adopted a two-handed grip on her spear, her shield resting on her back, and her blade crisscrossed rapidly with Penny's several in a twirling, clanging display of defense. "My word!" Port cried, "What a tremendous display by Miss Polendina."

Penny managed to find an opening, thrusting in a sword and sending Pyrrha back. The warrior quickly flipped backward with her momentum, nearly dropping her spear but managing to recall it with her Semblance. The blades came for her again, and Pyrrha now used them to her advantage, leaping off of one towards Penny. The ginger quickly brought her remaining blades up in a defensive shield that blocked Pyrrha's attack, then attempted an upward slice. However, Pyrrha quickly dodged again, coming down on two feet as Penny rushed back forward into the fray. The girl came in with a flurrying assortment of slashes that slid Pyrrha back on her feet. Pyrrha used her polarity to draw her shield as she warily awaited the next move.

In the stands, Nora cheered, "Yeah! Goooo Pyrrha!" Beside her, Jaune remained silent, concentrating on Pyrrha intently. Pyrrha looked down to her hands for a moment, befuddled as a sudden surge of polarity bent them out of shape, then warped them back to normal. Shaking it off, Pyrrha rushed back to Penny, unaware of Emerald in the stands, who was similarly concentrating on her for much more sinister reasons.

* * *

The boot connected hard with Ruby's face, earning Mercury a pained grunt from the girl. However, his next strike met empty air as the young reaper ducked beneath his foot and dashed away with her Semblance, sprinting down the tunnel to escape his onslaught and desperate to reach someone before it was too late.

* * *

Pyrrha spun left and right as she deflected and blocked the spinning blades, closing in on her ginger opponent. Drawing close, Pyrrha slashed twice across Penny in the front, then ducked behind her, a third strike launching the girl up into the air. Pyrrha leaped up in pursuit, connecting on her third strike again to send Penny back to the ground.

To her credit, Penny landed on her feet, reconfiguring her blades around her into their energy mode. However, instead of a large cannon made up of all the blades, several smaller blasters rotated in the air above and around her, sending lances of green energy towards Pyrrha.

The spartan weaved and dodged in the air, flipping over and sliding under pulses of energy and blocking more blades, before she impossibly made her way through the storm of attacks and hit Penny dead on, a solid stab from Miló that sent the other girl careening away from Pyrrha, who looked on with a satisfied smile.

However, Pyrrha's smile turned to shock in a moment as Penny reared up her blades behind her, firing them together as a jetpack that propelled her tiny form forward and launched her high in the air. With thruster-powered force, Penny came down with a meteor-like strike on Pyrrha, which sent the warrior onto her back for the first time of the fight. Pyrrha regained her footing, but a blade whirled out and caught Akoúo̱, knocking it from her hand. A moment later, the same thing happened to her spear, leaving her defenseless. She reached out with her Semblance to summon Miló back to herself, but a third blade zipped past like a slap on the wrist and knocked it away again before flying back to its home in Penny's backpack.

Penny herself raised her arms above her head with a triumphant smile, and eight blades appeared over her head, floating in wait of their owner's command. In the stands, Emerald's gaze narrowed on Pyrrha, and the redhead suddenly stumbled back in alarm, eyes wide, as the eight swords morphed into sixteen, then sixty, then hundreds, multiplying over and over until they appeared like a swarm of hornets over Penny.

With a motion, Penny sent forward her small set of blades. Pyrrha, unable to process how so many swords had suddenly appeared, reacted instinctively and responded with a massive magnetic wave that was meant to battle against the hallucinatory swarm of swords. The wave proved to be too much for the simple set of eight, which were blown back towards their owner. When Pyrrha next blinked, she found that the sword storm had disappeared. In its place, Penny stood hunched over as the wires contracted around her frame. Pyrrha's own eyes widened as the other girl audibly gasped, wires tightening around her limbs and waist, drawn taut by the massive force of Pyrrha's defensive unleashment of power.

First, there was the whoosh of the wires as they whipped around Penny's body; then, a slight crinkling, like the crushing of metal, as the wires tightened and dug in; finally, with a hideous, metallic crunch that sparked and sizzled with electricity and circuits, the wires went deeper, passing through Penny's defenseless body as if it were paper, revealing to the startled and shocked world the metallic interior of her android body.

Blades cluttered to the floor, and a torn piece of fabric from the robotic girl's dress that had lazily drifted through the air was impaled by a fallen sword as Pyrrha looked on in open-mouthed horror at the dismembered body before her, lying in pieces on the ground. Similarly, the crowd exclaimed their shock and horror with a cacophony of stunned cries and shrieks.

In the announcing booth, Port and Oobleck straightened in their chairs in an instant, both staring at the scene that had just played out before them. "No!" Port cried, to no one in particular, as he and his friend looked on with the confused, stunned alarm the rest of the crowd shared. In his office at Beacon, Ozpin leaped from his chair, staring in silent disbelief at the small form of Pyrrha and the broken shell of Penny on his screen.

The stumps where her limbs had been still sparking a bit, Penny's torso lay unmoving on the ground, her pupils dilating into large, empty pools of nothing, devoid of life and emotion.

Around the world, millions of people were reacting to the shattered shell that had been Penny on the ground as well. In Atlas, an older man with a full white beard looked on, his hand clenching tightly around his armrest as he took in the sight of the dismembered girl.

Far away, beyond the borders of Vale and within Mountain Glenn, the Grimm tensed as a massive wave of emotion suddenly swept over them. As one, they looked to the city and began to roar as one as they charged towards the source of grief.

Emerging from the maintenance tunnel, Ruby turned to the stage and dropped to her knees, her eyes widened at the sight before her. In a small, shuddering voice, she softly whispered, "_Penny…" _Without anything else she could do, Ruby simply wept: bitter, harsh sobs that wracked her body as she stared through tear-blurred silver eyes towards the descending arena platform.

Behind her, Mercury peeked out from the tunnel, unnoticed. However, seeing that the deed had already been done, he grinned and departed back into the tunnels, leaving the girl to her sorrow.

In the announcement booth, Oobleck put a hand to his ear as he noticed that the cameras were still rolling. "Broadcast, what are you doing?" he demanded. "Kill the feed!"

"Something's wrong!" the other man's voice said frantically over the line. "We don't have control of the cameras! We can't even stop the broadcast!"

"What?" the doctor cried in confusion. "How is that possible?!"

As if in answer to his question, behind them, the screen in their booth suddenly lit up with a new image, a large, red rectangle that covered the image of the arena. In the center of the ominous appearance was a black chess piece. A queen. Across Remnant, the same mark appeared on the screens of millions of viewers as a new player took the stage. Oobleck and Port gazed worriedly back out over the arena as a woman's voice, silken smooth but hard as stone began to speak.

"This is _not _a tragedy."

The voice echoed throughout the Colosseum.

"This was _not _an accident."

Jaune stared, open-mouthed, out at Pyrrha in abject, terrified silence as the woman continued.

"This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your _children_, to men who claim to be our guardians."

From her spot on the roof of Beacon's dormitory building, Cinder sneered down at her Scroll, which currently broadcast her message throughout the world. "But are, in reality, nothing more than men," she continued with contempt.

Ironwood, who had been just as shocked as everyone else at Penny's destruction, stood angrily and began to make his way to the announcement booth from his seat as Cinder continued, "Our academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and _one _was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here?"

Pyrrha's hand went to her mouth, her eyes brimming with horrified tears while Cinder went on, "One nation's attempt at a synthetic army: mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference."

In the fairgrounds, Blake and Weiss shared their shock with the rest of the viewers around the coffee kiosk's screen. "And what, I ask you," the anonymous woman continued, "is Ozpin teaching _his _students? First a dismemberment, now this?" Her voice rang with disapproval as she said, "Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

The monologue went on behind Yang as she stared desolately out the window of the dormitory while Zwei barked happily, oblivious to any tragedy. "Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his _colossal _failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded it's streets.

"Or perhaps," Cinder continued, Ozpin himself staring at the the screen in his office, "this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces." An Atlesian Airship drifted through the sky behind the Headmaster's office, which he turned to regard as the speech went on. "Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know the existence of peace is fragile, and our kingdoms' leaders conduct their business with iron gloves."

In the now-silent Amity Colosseum, everyone was held riveted to the hijacked broadcast, unaware of a green-haired girl that stealthily made her way to an exit tunnel and set off for the docks. "As someone who hails from Mistral," Cinder was saying, "I can assure you the situation there is… _equally _undesirable."

At the edges of Vale, two Atlesian soldiers stood guard over the walls, watching the broadcast on a Scroll tablet as Cinder went on with her revolutionary words. "Our kingdoms are on the brink of war. Yet we, the _citizens, _are left in the dark." However, the guards immediately dropped the tablet as a cacophony of snarling and roaring approached from behind them. The guards turned and stared in horror at the tidal wave of destruction that bore down on them as the Grimm approached the walls. Frantically, the men drew their weapons and opened fire on the horde, as useful as a stick against a flood as the endless swarm charged forward. The tablet lay where it had been tossed, the broadcast forgotten, as Cinder finished with a sinister smile, "So I ask you—when the first shots are fired… _who do you think you can trust?"_

With that, the message cut off, the Black Queen Virus vanishing from the screens in the stadium and around the world as the spectators were left in stunned silence.

Oobleck pressed a button repeatedly, to no avail. "The feeds are all jammed! We can't get a message out!"

Port turned to the broadcasters behind him. "Will someone tell me what in the world is happening?!"

As if in answer, sirens began to blare through the air, with warning signs flashing orange on the screens of the Colosseum. "_Alert. Incoming Grimm Attack. Threat Level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner," _a recorded voice announced calmly. The crowds began to scream in panic, disregarding the instructions as they raced for the exits. Behind Oobleck and Port, the door swung open as Ironwood finally rushed into the sportscasting booth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please," he ordered calmly, "there is no need for panic."

A screech from above proved the General wrong as a Nevermore landed on top of the Colosseum, pecking and scratching at the energy shield that separated it from the citizens below.

"A Nevermore?!" Sun cried in surprise as he leaped from his seat.

"How did it get past the kingdom's defenses?" Coco wondered in shock from her seat beside him, lowering her glasses.

Beside them both, Ren stared up at the attacking creature with deadly calm as he quietly reasoned, "It wasn't alone."

* * *

Down at Beacon, Ozpin looked on in restrained horror outside his window as smoke began to rise from the city of Vale below. The whoosh of the door sliding open did nothing to shake him from his dazed stare.

"Oz!" Qrow said urgently from behind him.

The headmaster turned to Qrow, who had rushed in with Glynda, and didn't hesitate for a moment as he ordered, "Get to the city!"

"But—"

"_Now!" _Ozpin cut him off.

With a shared look and no further argument, Glynda and Qrow nodded and ran back to the elevator.

* * *

At the kingdom's walled border, the monsters kept coming. Goliaths, Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusks, Creeps: all of them blended into a liquid mass of writhing black terror that raced across the ground and flooded into Vale from Mountain Glenn.

"Ozpin," Ironwood said into his Scroll at the Colosseum, "the girl… I-I can explain…" he trailed off, both of them knowing it wasn't true.

Ozpin's voice carried with reserved anger over the Scroll. "You brought your army to my kingdom, James. _Use it." _Needing no further directive, Ironwood gazed resolutely into the distance at the breach and dialed a new number.

In the air above the cracked wall, the Atlesian Air Fleet, which had deployed at Ironwood's command, were battling off Nevermores that flocked through the sky and attempted to organize in order to begin bombarding the hordes below. Soldiers within the ships rapidly pressed buttons and issued commands from computer consoles. In the head ship, the captain stood at the helm, watching with impatient anger as his men worked as quickly as they could.

"_Dammit!" _the captain muttered to himself, drawing his Scroll from his hip. "This is Blue Four! Blues Two and Three, fall into defensive positions!" he ordered.

Over the Scroll came the female voice of Blue Three. "Roger! Blue Three, in position!"

However, there was no second reply. The captain grimaced. "Blue Two, come in!" he ordered again. "Someone answer me, dammit!"

What the captain could not possibly know was that, at the moment, the only sound Blue Two's command bridge was a blaring alarm accompanied by the sparking and sizzling of broken equipment. On the floor, unconscious soldiers moaned from the brief defeat they had just endured as a solitary figure strolled leisurely but purposefully towards a nearby containment cell. The girl clad in the Atlesian Air Fleet uniform held her pink parasol over her one shoulder as she carried a cane and bowler hat over the other, twirling the cap on the end of the cane with a smile as the door to the cell slid open.

Taking in the sight of Neo, the cell's lone occupant smiled. "Well…" Roman said with a grin, "it's about time.

So focused was the rest of the fleet that they barely noticed as Blue Two suddenly came to life and spun into attack position, weapons charging. However, the Nevermores and swarms below were not their target, as the ship turned and sent several streaks of energy into its own companions. Blue Four took the hit, the captain crying over his Scroll, "We're hit! What's goi—," before he was cut off shortly as his crippled craft crashed into Blue Three with a powerful explosion and both of the aircraft began to plummet to the ground below.

Roman let out a crazed laugh as he watched the ships sink out of view, as Neo appreciatively smiled behind him. "Oh, it is _good _to be back!" the master criminal cried.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the ground, Beacon was experiencing its own invasion. Though the school was separated from the main city by the cliffs, it was still vulnerable to other attacks, proven as a squadron of Bullheads made their landing on the docks of the school. The doors slid open, revealing a glowering Adam Taurus and his White Fang forces, all armed. "Bring them to their knees!" Adam commanded his men, as to the side, another of the Bullheads opened. Out of the hatch appeared Grimm that had been captured and loaded into the ships for the invasion, and the creatures leaped from the craft with eager roars as they hurried towards the schools to inflict their destruction. After them followed the Fang, the finishing touch to the rapid series of events that had, in less than an hour, plunged the kingdom of Vale into chaos.

**Author's Note: So, I had originally posted this on Ao3, up to this chapter, only to have it taken down for being too close to the original. For future reference, I wanted to make clear my opinion. Yes, this is not my original work; I make no such claim that it is. Rooster Teeth owns and produces RWBY for the enjoyment of all of us, and I am grateful for it. I write this not in an attempt to plagiarize, but to pay homage to the late, great Monty Oum, and the world he created. For those of you who will not accept this, I will say two things:**

**First, I don't care. I will continue to post this story and write for as long as RWBY persists. I am not hurting anyone, and I am making no money off of it.**

**Two, and more importantly, please do not ruin this work for the people who do enjoy and want to read with accusations of plagiarism and lack of originality. Again, I am merely a scribe, writing things as I saw them and allowing my take to flow through my words. I only want for people to enjoy what I write.**

**I don't normally do anything like this, but I felt that my stance needed to be truly stated. For those of you who came with me from Ao3, I'm hoping to get back to my 'upload a day' schedule with chapters through Volumes 4, 5, and 6, and thank you for coming with me even from then. Please like, comment, and share with your friends. Love y'all! - Jek**


	42. Battle of Beacon

**Chapter Ten: Battle of Beacon**

The fairgrounds offered no escape to the spiral of madness that had overtaken Vale. As Blake and Weiss raced from their shop at the first realization of danger, they couldn't help but stare, wide-eyed, as the chaos unfolded around them. Citizens and students alike shrieked in terror as they fled the creatures of Grimm that trampled through the grounds, the fear only serving to feed the crazed, destructive nature of the beasts. Fire burned on many of the booths, and sounds of havoc filled the air.

"I don't believe this…" Weiss said in a halting voice, still gazing in horror at the carnage around them.

Blake quickly hit a speed dial number on her Scroll. "Yang, are you okay?"

At that moment, Team RWBY's blond brawler was sprinting through the halls of the dorm buildings, Zwei running faithfully at her heels. "I'm fine!" Yang reassured her friend quickly. At the first sound of trouble, Yang had snapped out of the dazed revere she had been stuck in since her fight with Mercury the previous day and rushed out to see how she could help. However, another concern rose in her mind. "Is Ruby with you? She's not answering her Scroll."

"No, she isn't," Blake replied. Yang stopped her run, not responding immediately as she processed that information. Her little sister was somewhere out there, all alone in the middle of this incredible disaster, and she had no way to find her. Apparently sensing Yang's fear, Blake reassured her, "Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader. She can take care of herself."

Yang sighed, eyes closed and fist clenched. Ruby had been the only one of the team that was going to be at Amity Colosseum tonight. She must have been up there when the breach first happened. As long as she was up there, for the moment, she would be safe. It was that thought that steadied Yang enough to briefly push aside her fears and say, "Right," before she continued to the exits.

At the fairgrounds, Weiss still appeared to be in shock. "This can't be happening." She looked to the ground. "Penny…" Blake was silent at her side.

"I'm headed to the docks near the courtyard," Yang said over the Scroll. "The White Fang are releasing Grimm into the school!"

At that, Blake flinched in alarm. "The White Fang is here?!" Yang didn't answer, and for several moments, the only sound over the call was growling and explosions. "Yang!"

Yang grunted over the Scroll. "Gotta go! Be careful!" she quickly finished, and with that, the call went dead. Blake stared at her Scroll as the screaming and fire continued around them.

"Blake, what are we going to do?" Weiss asked in a small voice at her side.

Blake turned to her teammate, a look of intense determination crossing her face. "We're going to the docks, and we're doing our job."

Blake turned and pressed the call button on her Scroll. A moment later, her locker crashed down onto the ground behind her, obeying her summon, and the door slid open, displaying Gambol Shroud inside. Weiss slowly nodded as she began to reach for her own Scroll.

* * *

The spectators still shrieked in terror as they fled the scene of the broadcast in Amity Colosseum high above. The Nevermore atop the stadium continued to peck away at the force field that separated it from the humans below, screeching loud into the air. A computerized voice advised, "Warning: Safety Barriers Failing."

In the mad dash for departing ships, nobody paid much mind to the small girl slumped on her knees in the middle of the tunnel. Ruby stared down at her hands in wide-eyed shock, her tears having run dry as the sadness gave way to a sort of forlorn numbness that left her paralyzed where she sat. Out on the floor of the stadium, the catalyst of all of the night's travesties slowly rose shakily to her feet. Pyrrha Nikos shared Ruby's expression of stunned disbelief as she stared at the shredded remains of what had been Penny Polendina before her.

Behind her in the stands, one of the few people who had not yet fled shouted desperately to her. "Pyrrha!" Jaune cried out to her, Ren and Nora both at his side as they gazed worriedly to their friend on the battlefield. "Pyrrha, that thing's gonna break in! You've gotta move!" However, the young warrior remained frozen where she stood.

The trio in the stands looked up. The Nevermore gave another screech as it rose above the flickering forcefield and came in with a diving strike to the energy barrier. Throwing caution to the wind, Jaune vaulted the railing and jumped out onto the sparring floor, heedless of Nora's warning cry behind him as he sprinted for his friend.

"Pyrrha, please, snap out of it!"

Above, the Grimm slammed down into the forcefield, shattering it and crashing down onto the floor below with a mighty bom. The force of the landing drove both Pyrrha and Jaune back, sending them both on their backs. Pyrrha looked on in dazed horror as the Nevermore screeched again and began flapping towards her. The Huntress remained where she was as the beast charged forward, preparing to devour her before she even knew what was happening.

The attack never came. Right as the Nevermore closed in on Pyrrha's helpless form, a red blur streaked out from behind her and landed in the monster's chest. The Nevermore screamed in pain as metal met flesh, before the blur jumped back and materialized into a young girl, surrounded by rose petals and wielding a single, simple blade no longer bound by strings to its former user.

Pyrrha stared in wonder at this new arrival. The girl stood with determination, her face furrowed in anger and her grip on the sword white-knuckled. As if unsure that this were truly the sweet, innocent girl that she knew, Pyrrha's voice wavered a bit as she tentatively said, "Ruby?"

Ruby gripped Penny's sword in two hands and levelled it at the monster, her voice a roar that Pyrrha had never heard before as she shouted a single command. "_**Leave her alone!" **_

The Nevermore shrieked at this new challenger and rose back into the air, circling around the stadium, before it dove back down towards the small girl. Ruby merely awaited it with a hardset face of stone, ready with her blade for the attack.

Once again, the Nevermore's attack was interrupted as, from above, projectiles began to rain from the sky onto the creature. Slowly, the beast slid to the stop with a weak cry as the objects that had struck it revealed themselves to be the lockers of fellow students, summoned down on top of the Grimm. The lockers slid open, revealing the weapons of several students, both Beacon and otherwise. Each weapon's owner stepped forward to claim it until, eventually, the entirety of Teams ABRN, CFVY, and SSSN, as well as Flynt Coal, Neon Katt, and the rest of Team JNPR all stood armed and ready for battle.

Beneath Ren's feet, the bird suddenly shook, not quite dead yet, as it rose with a fresh cry before Ruby and Pyrrha. The students split up, Ren jumping up to the creature's face with a whirling slash to its eyes while Arslan used her cord to swing down to Yatsuhashi. With impressive strength, she scooped the large boy off of the ground and swung him into the air, just as Sage jumped up to meet him. Nora ran up the creature's back and crashed a grenade-fueled blow to its head, slamming it down to the floor. Above, Arslan swung away as Sage and Yatsu both came down at once with their broadswords and sliced clean through the creature's neck, the body beginning to dissolve as the head landed at Ruby's feet.

The beast vanquished, Ruby turned to Pyrrha. Her friend remained where she had fallen on her knees, staring at Ruby through teary eyes. "Ruby, I…" Pyrrha began. She stared down at her hands, where a stray scrap of Penny's dress had floated into her fingers. She met Ruby's gaze again. "I'm so sorry," Pyrrha finished, tears beginning to fall as her voice wavered.

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, her mask of anger momentarily falling. "Me too." However, the moment passed as she looked back to Pyrrha with determination. "But it wasn't your fault."

"She's right." Pyrrha looked past Ruby, where Jaune was walking towards her. In his hands he had Miló and Akoúo̱, which he had recovered from where they had been thrown with Penny's body by the Nevermore. The blond leader of JNPR continued as he walked forward, "Whoever was on that microphone—they're the ones that did this." He came to a stop in front of her, offering her her weapons in his outstretched arms. "And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else."

Pyrrha slowly stood and nodded, taking her weapons from Jaune's offering hands. The two looked to Ruby, who in turn looked behind herself. The students had all grouped up behind them, weapons held at the ready, and Ruby smiled at their small fighting force. Above them, a roar cut short her smile as the students looked as one to the rim of the stadium, where a ring of Grimm had appeared, no longer barred by the force field. The beasts had the bodies of lions, with wings projecting from their shoulder blades and beaked heads. The Grimm let out a roar as they eyed the group of humans below.

Ren looked up, pistols at the ready, and grimly muttered, "Griffons."

"Anybody got a plan of attack?" Neptune asked, energy rifle in hand.

"Sun!" Ruby called. The boy perked up at Neptune's side. "I need your Scroll!" Sun reached with his monkey tail and tossed the device over to her. Ruby caught the Scroll and typed in a new command, then pressed the call button. Within moments, a locker dropped down behind her, opening to reveal Crescent Rose waiting for her. Ruby ran forward to her weapon, but broke off as a Griffon swooped down and landed on her locker with a ferocious roar. However, a gunshot behind her glanced off of the Griffon's shoulder, driving the beast away, as Ruby turned to the source of the shot.

"Students," Professor Port said, blunderbuss still smoking, "I think it would be best for you to leave."

"But we can—"

"Miss Rose!" Dr. Oobleck cut her off, his own weapon drawn. "This day will surely go down in Remnant's history." He looked at her over his glasses and smiled. "I'd prefer it if my students could live to tell about it."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Ruby turned to her group as she unfurled her scythe. "Let's go!" she cried, pointing to the exit tunnels. The group obeyed her, adopting her as the default leader as they raced for the nearest one. A flash at Ruby's side drew her attention, and she glanced over in surprise to see Velvet with her camera out, having just took a picture of Ruby in her pointing pose. The bunny-eared girl looked down to her camera, seemingly inspecting her picture, before Coco called her name and she took off after the departing students.

In the group's wake, Port let out a laugh as he moved back to back with Oobleck, weapon at the ready as the Griffons began to close in. "One final match, Barty! Place your bets!"

* * *

Out in the docking area of the Colosseum, students and spectators were being loaded quickly and efficiently into departing Bullheads heading for safe zones within the city. Some of the citizens remained calm, but many were openly crying, terrified of the events that were transpiring around them.

Suddenly, in the midst of the chaos, three fresh Bullheads arrived. At first, many of the mingling citizens moved for the new arrivals, seeking safe transport away, but then everyone turned back and screamed, fleeing as the White Fang-operated airships opened up and began unloading Grimm onto the docking bay of Amity Colosseum.

Atlesian Knights immediately snapped their weapons up to the people's defense, felling Grimm after Grimm as Ironwood himself looked on behind them. Suddenly, one of the robotic guards was yanked off its feet by a new arrival, a more heavily boned and armored Alpha Beowolf. The creature roared as it destroyed the robot, then snatched the second from the ground and tore it in half.

However, before it could proceed to wreak havoc upon the citizens, its interest was drawn by something else. The Alpha's ears perked up as it turned and met Ironwood's narrowed gaze. The General began to walk forward towards the beast. The Alpha sensed the challenge and began to race towards him, roaring ferociously at the human that would dare to challenge it. Ironwood returned the roar with one of his own as he began to sprint to the beast, ducking under it at the last moment. From within his white military coat he withdrew a simple pistol, firing several shots into the creature's midsection as he slid underneath it. The Alpha shook its head at the bullets as it leaped the General, then roared again as it raced back towards him.

Ironwood dug into the ground with his right hand to halt himself, then fired blast after blast at the approaching beast. The Grimm reached him, shrugging off the bullets, but Ironwood ducked its swiping paw and slammed it to a stop with his right hand. Surprised at the display of power, the Alpha had one confused moment to look at its stopped attack before Ironwood tightened his grip on the arm, swung the Grimm up into the air, and then slammed it back down to the ground. The General raised his pistol and shortly ended the creature's life with a shot through its skull, then coolly walked away, leaving the disintegrating body in his wake.

From a nearby exit tunnel, the group of students suddenly emerged and approached him, Ruby at point. "What's going on?" the reaper cried to him.

Ironwood looked over the group and addressed the answer to them all. "Grimm are crawling all over the city. The White Fang's invaded Beacon, and to make matters worse, some… _vagabond _has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control. So I'm…" The General broke off and raised his pistol. The students turned just as the shot rang out and watched in awe as a lifeless Creep tumbled behind them. "...going to take it back," Ironwood finished.

With that, the General turned to make for his ship, but halted as Jaune called out, "What should we do?"

Ironwood turned back to the group of young Huntsmen and Huntresses. "You have two choices. Defend your kingdom and your school… or save yourselves." The teens looked amongst themselves, wondering if he could be serious. Ironwood looked at them gently. "No one will fault you if you leave." With that final, grim sentence, Ironwood boarded his ship and cried, "Let's move out!" The students were left behind as his Bullhead rose into the sky to ponder what he had said. Everyone looked around uncomfortably. Ironwood had just given them an out, a way to escape the battle.

However, Sun put into words what everyone was thinking. "I mean… come on!"

Jaune concurred. "We can take a ship to Beacon!"

The students moved towards a nearby Bullhead, Ruby's gaze lingering on the General's departing aircraft.

* * *

In the command center of Blue Two, Roman Torchwick was having the time of his life, pressing buttons and flicking levers with reckless abandon. "Hmm, let's see," the criminal mused, his trademark hat back atop his head, courtesy of his savior, Neo. "What does… this button do?" Torchwick pressed a small red button. He turned and held a hand to his ear as the ship shook and a faroff explosion was heard. Roman smirked. "Oh, fun!" He turned to a new one. "How about… this one?" He pressed the button.

In the deployment areas, squadrons of AK-200s stood at the ready, waiting for commands, when the floor suddenly dropped out from beneath them, plummeting them to the ground far below.

Seeing no apparent effect, Torchwick shrugged. "Huh, alright. Nothing." He turned to Neo, and a smile blossomed on his face when she handed him a Scroll. "Oh-ho-ho! Now, _this one_… this one's gonna be fun!" Roman plugged the Scroll into the control console of the ship, and the bridge suddenly glowed red with the dark light of the Black Queen Virus.

* * *

In the streets of Vale, Glynda and Qrow were currently following their orders from

Ozpin to protect the citizens, backing up a squadron of Atlesian Knights against the Grimm. However, the pair looked up in shock as the androids suddenly ceased fire. Swiveling on their feet, the droids turned their weapons on Glynda and Qrow, the faceplates glowing red. "What?!" Glynda cried in shock at this new betrayal.

At Beacon, Weiss and Blake had finally made it to the docks when the virus overtook the guards at Beacon. The robots turned on them with deadly intent. "Look out!" Blake cried as she threw Weiss to the ground, avoiding a deadly barrage. The girls rose as the robots encircled them, weapons raised and trained on the two Huntresses.

In Ironwood's ship, the General was oblivious as the squad of guards in the back of his Bullhead suddenly activated, glowing red, and aimed their weapons towards him. Too late, the General sensed the danger, leaping from his chair with a futile, "No!"

The students looked on in horror from their airship as an explosion issued from the cockpit of Ironwood's vessel and the airship began to spiral to the ground. Ruby's shocked expression quickly morphed into determination as she ran to the exit doors of the airship.

"Ruby, what are you doing?!" cried Sun after her, but Ruby paid him no mind as she leaped off the edge and fell back towards the Colosseum. With Ironwood's ship going down, no one would be able to stop whoever had taken control of his ship, meaning it was up to her. And now, she had a plan.

With a burst of speed, Ruby propelled herself to the platform and raced into the stadium, where the lockers had been abandoned. There was no sign of the teachers the group had left behind, or the swarm of Griffons. Ignoring this, Ruby hurried to her locker and wrapped Crescent Rose around it, typing in a series of coordinates. With a burst of rocket fuel, the locker took off into the sky, Ruby hanging on for dear life behind it. The locker zoomed over the kingdom, heading for the airship in the sky. As the locker completed its arc and overshot the ship, Ruby released and let the locker continue without her, falling down to the deck of Blue Two with a thud.

Torchwick and Neo both felt and heard the thump of Ruby's landing. Torchwick sighed. Just when things had been getting fun. "Go see what that is," he ordered with a gesture.

Neo was, as usual, silent with a smile as she nodded and headed for the door to investigate the noise.

* * *

Down in Beacon, the dozens of AK-200s were being cut down in droves – limbs, heads, and torsos all falling to Myrtenaster's blade. Weiss was everywhere at once with her glyphs, sprinting side to side as she carved her way through the rogue androids. She propelled herself backwards through the air to join with Blake, who had been holding her own against a group of White Fang soldiers. One, two, three were brushed aside by her blade, but then a lucky hit sent the Faunus girl sliding backwards. The soldiers rushed in to finish her, only to be thrown off of their feet by Weiss as she landed at her friend's side.

The teammates assumed a fighting position back to back, when to the side, a loud crash drew their attention. Blake and Weiss looked over and watched as a group of human Atlesian soldiers desperately fought against a giant Paladin, which had also turned against them with the Atlesian Knights.

"Come on!" Weiss cried as they began to rush towards the robot, but a shriek from the other side halted them. "Huh?" Both girls watched as a Bullhead fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground. Before it touched down, a large shape jumped from the cargo bay. The shape roared as it fell to the ground, revealing itself to be an Alpha Beowolf that took off after a group of citizens.

The girls glanced at each other and nodded in unspoken agreement. "Be safe," Weiss said, to which Blake nodded. The girls sprinted away as they split up, Weiss for the Paladin, Blake after the Beowolf, each running to help in any way they could.

Blake rounded the corner of what had been Beacon's cafeteria hall, which was now partially destroyed and burning inside, eyes scanning around for the Alpha. The creature suddenly leaped up from the side and soared above her, claws digging into the all above as it roared. Suddenly, a loud shout of pain from inside the cafeteria drew her attention, and she moved to the broken window, ready to jump in and fight.

Then, Blake froze, her face draining of color. There were two people in the cafeteria. One was an Atlesian soldier, who was currently unconscious. The other was a broad-shouldered Faunus man in a black trench coat, with fiery red hair and curved bull horns protruding from his head. The man tossed the soldier to the side with one arm, then turned to face her. He stopped, eyes hidden behind one of the half-masks of the White Fang.

Though she knew, Blake didn't want it to be true. "No," she breathed, her terror displayed on her face. What fueled her fear was that as he looked up and recognized her, he smiled. In a halting voice, she whispered, "Adam?"

Adam looked to her with menace, his smile unwavering. "Hello, my darling."

* * *

Between the White Fang troops, rogue Atlesian robots, and invading Grimm, Beacon Academy had joined Vale in chaos. Across the courtyard, the group of students that had fled Amity Colosseum battled, Teams JNPR, SSSN, ABRN, and FNKI all pitching in in the effort against the Grimm. Overhead, the spark that had lit this fire of madness watched with satisfaction from the top of the dorm buildings as the fruits of her labor, begun so long ago, had finally come to pass.

"Beautiful," Cinder said sardonically with a grin.

At her side, Emerald looked out over the titanic battle. "It's almost sad," the green-haired girl mused with small sorrow. Mercury apparently did not share her sentiments, his grin matching Cinder's own as he filmed the battle on his Scroll.

Their leader replied, "It's horrendous." To Mercury, she directed, "Focus on the Atlesian Knights."

The boy chuckled, "Oh, I'm getting all of it."

"Good. Continue the broadcast until the end."

Suddenly, beneath their feet, the ground shook, threatening their balance for a moment. Cinder smiled. "And do not miss what happens next," she said, moving to stare off into the distance at Mountain Glenn.

* * *

Ozpin watched on his monitor as his worst nightmare came true. Vale was being overrun, citizens beginning to become stranded on top of buildings as the remaining human soldiers tried desperately to fight off any Grimm they came up against. Ozpin lowered his head. He had once told Blake Belladonna that, while he was the headmaster of Beacon, first and foremost he was a Huntsman, and as such, he had a duty to protect the people. Now, it seemed, he would have to prove it. Standing from his chair, Ozpin walked around his desk, grabbing his cane as he passed, before he began to walk to the elevator.

However, Ozpin was halted in his tracks as the massive tremor shook the CCT tower and the ground shifted momentarily beneath his feet.

The tremor was felt across Vale. In the streets, Qrow stabbed his sword into the ground to steady himself as Glynda stumbled and muttered a horrified, "No…"

At Beacon, the students and even the Grimm gave momentary pause as they felt the shake, looking around worriedly for the source.

At Mountain Glenn, the mountain from which the settlement had earned its name began to tremble as well, cracks beginning to appear in its surface. A massive clawed foot burst through the surface of the rock, grasping for purchase outside. A spiked spine cracked through in another spot, as a glowing red eye began to peer into the night even higher up.

All at once, the top of the mountain exploded like a volcano. However, rather than spewing lava, a nightmarish, flying creature was vomited from the mouth of the mountain and flapped its wings, screeching into the night sky from a mouth full of teeth. A Grimm dragon, a Wyvern.

The Wyvern let out another screech as it began to flap towards the kingdom of Vale. As the creature flew, large clumps of a black, gooey substance accumulated and dropped off beneath it. As the globs fell to the ground, they changed upon impact into other, smaller Grimm, which followed in the Wyvern's wake as they charged towards Vale.

Ozpin gazed grimly out of his window as the Wyvern soared towards the school. As the monster circled the CCT tower, more of the black tar dripped from its body and spawned fresh horrors at the base of the tower. Seeing this, the students readied themselves for these new Grimm, Jaune and Pyrrha gaining small reassurance in a brief smile at each other's side. Pyrrha looked back to the Grimm, but then, her attention was drawn by sight of a lone figure standing at the base of the tower.

As the rest of the students rushed off to fight the Grimm, Pyrrha began to slowly walk away from her team and towards Ozpin, while Jaune, Nora, and Ren looked after her in confusion.

"Where's she going?" Nora wondered aloud.

"I'll go find out. You two stay here and keep fighting," Jaune said. With, that, Jaune ran after Pyrrha and Ozpin as they disappeared inside the CCT while Nora and Ren ran after the rest of the students towards the Grimm.

Unnoticed by the battling students below, Cinder stood alone on the top of Beacon's dormitory buildings. The woman watched as Pyrrha and Jaune followed Ozpin into the CCT tower, amber eyes narrowed and glowing like golden fire. The power was close, somewhere beneath the CCT tower. Cinder smiled as she turned to the stairwell door, closer now than she had ever been to the power that had been promised to her… power that would make her feared.


	43. Heroes and Monsters

**Chapter Eleven: Heroes and Monsters**

The screech behind her was deafening as it split the air. Ruby turned and looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she watched the largest Grimm she had ever seen in her life fly past the ship, flapping its wings. The Wyvern screeched again as it made its way quickly towards Beacon, followed by a cacophony of smaller screeches in its wake. Ruby turned and looked up in horrified awe as a swarm of Griffons flocked through the sky, hundreds of the beasts in pursuit of the Grimm Wyvern as they flew to the school.

One Griffon sensed her spike in fear and crashed down onto the deck, roaring a challenge at her. Ruby spun her weapon in defense and slid back, then rushed back in and ended the beast with three quick strikes. Ruby gave an exhausted and relieved sigh as the beast crumpled behind her, but then she became aware of a new arrival on the deck.

Ruby looked over her shoulder and saw a girl, shorter than her, dressed in the uniform of the Atlesian Air Fleet. However, as Ruby looked, a shimmer travelled up the girl, transforming her sleek military clothing into her normal brown pants and white-and-pink coat. Neo smirked at Ruby and threw her a wink as her transformation concluded, her Scroll snapping a photo of the bewildered reaper.

In the cockpit of the airship, Roman's Scroll buzzed, and a picture of Ruby appeared onscreen, sent from Neo. The tagline read, "_Guess who?"_

At that, Roman scowled. "Oh, you can _not _be serious!" Snatching his Scroll and Melodic Cudgel angrily from their places, he walked away from the command console and made his way to the door. This brat had been a thorn in his side since they had first met, foiling his plans at every turn, and now, it was time to put an end to that trend, once and for all.

* * *

"Running away again?" Adam asked quietly from within the cafeteria as Blake cowered at the window. "Is that what you've become, _my love? _A _coward?" _He practically spat the word.

Blake stared at him, still terrified. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

She flinched as his voice rose in anger. "You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were _destined _to light the fires of revolution!" Drawing Wilt from Blush, Adam stepped on the chest of an unconscious Atlas student at his feet, blade pointing downward. "Consider _this_ the spark."

The killing strike never landed. Even as Adam raised the blade, Blake leaped in, katana drawn, and threw herself into him, blade on blade creating sparks between them. Blake glared at him from behind her blade, new determination blooming on her face. "_I'm. Not. Running."_

Adam leaned in, his deadly voice lowered. "_You. Will."_

A savage kick from him sent her on her back. As she rose, a Creep began to rush her from behind, but a shot rang out that put the beast down. Blake looked at Adam in shock as Blush's barrel smoked. He glowered at her as he moved forward. "But not before you've suffered for your betrayal… _my love."_

* * *

Velvet groaned dazedly, her head still spinning from the blow she had received as she had been thrown to the ground. The Faunus girl received little time to rest as she was quickly bowled over by Coco, who had been thrown after her by a Paladin. Velvet came to a rolling stop and looked to the chaos unfolding around her. Off to the side, Yatsu and the trumpet-playing boy from Atlas were working side by side against Grimm and androids. All over the courtyard, various groups of students were battling the onslaught of enemies. Reese Chloris on her hoverboard and Neon Katt with her skates were both bobbing and weaving amongst the throng, zipping beneath a large Paladin as they froze its legs to the ground.

However, it was a losing battle, exhaustion wearing on the group from the constant fighting. Weiss dashed in to attack the frozen Paladin, but was batted aside, Neptune crying her name in concern. Yatsu managed to hold back a powerful blow from another of the huge machines momentarily but was flung backwards a second later.

The machine turned on Ren, who was panting tiredly from a recent victory over a Boarbatusk. Nora cried, "Look out!" as she saw the mech draw near, pushing her friend to the side as she took the hit. "Nora, no!" Ren cried in return as she tumbled away, only to be struck himself.

Coco and Neptune locked on to the machine, weapons blazing, while Velvet looked on uselessly from behind them. However, the mech absorbed the hits, turning towards them. "Uh, this is bad," Neptune remarked.

Coco shrugged, seemingly making up her mind. "Well, I guess now's a better time than any." She turned to her rabbit-eared friend. "Velvet!"

Looking up with excited surprise, Velvet smiled widely as she said, "Really?"

Coco smiled tiredly back from behind her sunglasses. "Just make 'em count."

Needing no further authorization, Velvet nodded and began to walk towards the Paladins before them, seemingly unarmed.

Getting back to her feet at their side, Weiss cried to Coco, "What are you doing? She's going to get hurt!"

Coco raised an eyebrow. "Just watch."

Velvet came to a stop, arm extended to the side. Suddenly, a blue glow emanated from the small, brown case on the girl's back. The glow projected several beams of light that surrounded Velvet's arm, slowly materializing into the shape of a weapon in her hand. Weiss gave a start of recognition. A very familiar weapon, one that Weiss had become well acquainted with over the last several months: Crescent Rose.

The Paladin fired on the Faunus girl, but Velvet leaped into the air over the explosion, slicing downward with the imitation of Ruby's scythe through the machine. Suddenly, the scythe disappeared, and in Velvet's other hand appeared a copy of Weiss' very own Myrtenaster. Velvet thrust upward, blocking a downward smash from the Paladin's arm. She rushed in with a series of quick slashes, slashes that Weiss herself had spent years perfecting, causing the mech to stumble.

Velvet pressed her advantage, using her unpredictable weapon to keep the heat on the robots. Next, Yang's Ember Celica appeared on her wrists as she punched away at the Paladin's hull. Velvet jumped away, firing a few shots before she dodged another swing of the arm and morphed her next weapon: Blake's Gambol Shroud. Unsheathing the katana from the sheath-sword, Velvet leaped up and caught the swinging arm's arc, the ribbon from the sheath wrapping around the body of the robot as she swung, fueled by momentum. The Faunus girl leaped clear and, with a mighty tug, the android giant toppled to the ground.

A second mech appeared behind her, but Velvet slashed upward with the katana, drawing sparks from the Paladin's arm, then hurled the flat blade into the hull. Bullets began to riddle the machine as Velvet opened fire with an imitation of Coco's gatling gun. Shielding itself with its arm, the Paladin stumbled forward and attacked, but Velvet had already switched weapons yet again, blocking the arm with Sun's bo staff, then leaping high and slamming down with Nora's Magnhild onto the cockpit.

Velvet looked up as the first machine began to rise from its toppled state, weapons charging up. In response, Velvet lifted her arms as a small, holographic backpack formed above the case on her back. Behind her, several blades suddenly appeared, awaiting her directive. Velvet leaped down and finished off the Paladin she'd been standing on by cutting it down at the knees, then brought in the blades and focused her firepower in a bombardment of the fallen machine.

However, Velvet was so focused on her task that she failed to notice the thundering footsteps approaching from her right, crying out as a large, metal fist slammed into her and knocked her to the ground, the attack of this fresh Paladin unanticipated.

"Velvet!" Coco cried in concern, her face furrowing in rage as she reopened fire. Neptune and others joined her, concentrating their weapons on this new threat. At their side, Weiss had finally had enough. With a determined grimace, she raced forward, glyphs appearing beneath her feet, while the rest of them held their fire, watching for what she would do. Weiss didn't have any real plan as she sprinted towards Velvet, but suddenly, she looked over her shoulder in surprise as a glyph she had never seen before materialized and began to spin. No, wait, she _had _seen that glyph before. When she was training with Winter…

Without any further thought, Weiss came to a stop in front of Velvet and raised her rapier in pathetic defense, the glyph still spinning behind her head. She winced and closed her eyes in preparation as she arm began to come down.

After a few moments, Weiss realized that she was still standing, unaffected by the crushing blow. Sparing a glance up, Weiss suddenly gasped in surprised wonder at the sight before her. The Paladin's attacking arm was held at bay, not by her sword, but by another, pure white and far larger than herself, wielded by a white, armored arm that protruded from her glyph. A very familiar arm…

The arm directed the Paladin's attack downward, then rose up quickly and slashed down, cutting the mech clean in two. As the ruined machine collapsed, Weiss looked up at her creation before a flash caught her attention. Velvet smiled as her camera clicked on the image of the heiress' Summon, but then, the ground began to shake beneath their feet as they and the others turned. Down the street, a new Paladin lumbered into view, arms folding up into cannons and eyes flashing red.

Not for the first time that evening, Sun said what everyone was thinking as he slumped. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

* * *

Neo dodged Ruby's flurry of spinning attacks with a series of intricate flips, managing to nimbly twist away from every swing of the massive scythe. When Ruby went high, she ducked low, and it appeared that both girls were evenly matched. Ruby tossed her weapon twirling through the air, but Neo once again flipped backwards and away. Crescent Rose boomeranged back into Ruby's grip, and the reaper dug her blade into the hull as she fired at Neo.

Just finishing her back handspring, Neo was hit square in the chest by the blast. However, instead of being knocked backwards, Neo shattered, the illusion falling apart when damaged. Behind the broken image, Roman Torchwick suddenly appeared, cane outstretched as he fired on Ruby.

Caught off guard, it was now Ruby who was struck in the chest as she was sent flying backwards, forced to dig in her scythe to slow her momentum. She remained on her stomach, slightly winded, as Roman approached her. He leaned onto Melodic Cudgel with both hands as he smiled down at her.

"Little Red, Little Red, you are just _determined _to be the hero of Vale, aren't cha?"

Ruby looked up at him in shock. "What are you doing?!" she demanded. "Without these ships, the Grimm will destroy everything!"

Roman smirked, levelling the barrel at her. "That's the plan!"

Ruby quickly grabbed the barrel of Roman's cane and thrust it away as he fired, the charge exploding past her while he stumbled forward. Ruby scrambled to her feet, even as Neo flipped over her and caught her with a stunning kick to the head that sent her back to the deck. She rose again, greeted by two more kicks that forced her to stumble back, balanced precariously on the edge of the ship as she overlooked the storm of Griffons below. A Nevermore screeched as it flew towards her, claws outstretched. The blow glanced off of her luckily, staggering her back away from the edge to face down Roman and Neo.

"But why?!" she cried over the rushing wind. "What do you get out of it?"

Roman grinned at her. "You're asking the wrong questions, Red! It's not what I have to _gain…" _His grin disappeared. "It's that I can't afford to _lose!"_

Ruby rushed in once again, but Roman ducked down as Neo leaped over his back with a kick that sent Ruby stumbling back again. Allowing the young Huntress no time to recover, Neo continued forward, a small kick to the weapon's handle giving her the momentum she needed to flip down and hook her parasol's handle around the scythe's. Ruby let out a small cry as Neo yanked down hard, separating Ruby from her weapon as the young girl twirled in the air. Neo grinned as she then spun into a kick to Ruby's back that sent her straight for Torchwick.

Roman grinned as well. Pressing his firing button, he slammed the bottom of his weapon onto the deck, the force from the blast propelling it forward like a torpedo into Ruby. As the cane bounced back to him, Roman stylishly held it behind his shoulders and fired again, the Dust charge catching Ruby in the air as she was sent hurtling towards the edge.

By a small stroke of luck, Ruby managed to grasp the handle of Crescent Rose before going over, which now was the only thing keeping her from plummeting to certain death in the storm of Griffons below. The reaper gasped in fear at the sight. Above her, still on the deck, Roman and Neo both smirked at her predicament.

"I may be a gambling man," Roman said, "but even I know there are some bets that you just _don't _take." Neo walked forward, the small, deadly blade she usually carried in her parasol protruding from the top and dragging menacingly on the deck behind her with the sound of scratching metal. Neo rached the edge and levelled the small blade at Ruby as Roman continued, "Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world." Ruby kicked away a Nevermore that came nipping at her feet. She peered up at Roman and Neo, searching for something that could give her an escape, or at least away back onto the deck. Her eyes narrowed as she looked to the small button near Neo's hand as Roman went on, "You can't stop 'em, _I_ can't stop 'em, and you know the old saying." Roman smirked. "If you can't beat 'em…"

With a small burst of speed, Ruby twisted her body away from Neo's needlelike blade and hauled herself up, her hand quickly pressing the button on Neo's parasol. The device sprang open, easily catching the wind, and Neo let out a small gasp as she was blown off the deck, beginning to disappear as she floated down to the ground through the Griffon swarm. If she could make it past the Griffons, she would probably survive… _if._

Roman looked on in shock as his lieutenant was blown away. "_Neo!" _he cried in shock, a hand outstretched uselessly for his friend.

"I don't care _what _you say!" Ruby said as she climbed back onto the deck. She looked at Roman with fierce determination. "We _will _stop them, and I _will _stop you! _Bet on that!" _she screamed as she rushed forward, bobbing and weaving with her speed.

Roman's face had twisted to something halfway between rage and hatred while she talked, and when she rushed in, he fired his cane, quickly moving his cane to hit the charge like a ball, and swung hard at her. Ruby yelped as the charge hit her, stumbling back. Roman didn't let up, running right in with a savage upward swing that caught her on the chin, before he thrust his cane violently between her ribs and fired, shooting her completely across the deck.

Roman's voice had a new harshness to it as he replied, "Ya got spirit, Red, but this. Is. The _real world!" _He swung and knocked her back down as she tried to rise. He glared down at her as he said, "The real world is _cold!" _He slammed the cane down, battering her while she was still on the ground. Raising the cane for another blow, he continued, "The real world doesn't _care _about _spirit!" _Ruby scored a kick to his knee, sending him back with a pained grunt as she rose again. "You wanna be a _hero?! Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history!" _Roman shouted as he swung yet again, Melodic Cudgel slamming into Ruby's head with a dizzying hit.

Roman regarded the fallen girl before him, dazedly trying to rise. "As for me," he said, "I'll do what I do best!" He counted it off on his fingers and raised the cane for his final blow. "Lie, steal, cheat, and survi—!"

Roman had both arms raised, preparing to strike, before a giant wall of white cut him off from the world. Ruby looked up in terrified horror as the wall revealed itself to be the head of a massive Griffon, attracted by the negative nature of Roman's rant, which swallowed the criminal whole before turning to her with a ferocious roar. Ruby ran forward with a shout, vaulting the beast with a kick to its head as it came at her. The Griffon's momentum carried it to its death in the cockpit of the airship, which exploded in a ball of fire as Ruby breathed a brief sigh of relief.

The reaper's relief was short lived, because without the cockpit, the ship gave a shudder beneath her feet, steam streamed from the engines, and Blue Two began to tilt quickly groundward. Ruby eyed her weapon, still lodged in the ship's side, and sprinted forward as large holes began to explode into existence behind her. Ruby snatched her weapon and dove off the side, knifing through the storm of Griffons that were surrounding the doomed vessel. Once clear of the beasts, Ruby swung her weapon around and began to slow her descent, firing round after round to halt her momentum until she landed on her feet on the roof of a city building, watching from a distance as the ship began to plunge.

* * *

In another part of Vale, Cardin Winchester had somehow found himself grouped with Qrow and Glynda, the three sticking close as they battled the various enemies around them. Glynda threw Grimm through the air with her Semblance as Qrow sliced through AK-200s with his sword. Cardin slammed his mace into an Ursa with a grin, but his smile vanished when he looked up into the barrel of an Atlesian rifle. Cardin held up his hands while two Atlesian Knights stared menacingly at him with their red gaze, before both of the bots' heads exploded. Cardin looked past them to the source of his rescue, jaw dropping as he took in the figure approaching him.

Clothing torn and hair disheveled, James Ironwood reloaded his revolver as he walked forward. The General's entire right side had been exposed, revealing, from the neck down, a synthetic body, robotic and metal, that fused to his flesh left half with glowing lines of energy. His right arm was completely artificial, and apparently, so was his leg, as metal could be seen gleaming through a small tear in his military pants.

Heedless of Cardin's awed stare, Ironwood went to work, pistol flaring to life in his hand as he shot down droid after rogue droid, finishing off the squadron Qrow had been fighting by pistol whipping the damaged survivor. Turning to his fellow Huntsmen, Ironwood motioned. "This area's secure. We need to—"

Qrow suddenly glared at him, teeth clenched. Thumbing a button on his handle, Qrow shifted his stance as the broadsword he had been holding suddenly curved in the blade, the handle elongating into a staff as the gears in the hilt turned. In an instant, the sword had transformed into a scythe, one that Qrow slammed into the pavement towards Ironwood.

The General looked at him pleadingly, arms raised in defense. "Qrow! This isn't my doing!"

Qrow ignored him as he charged forward, scythe kicking up sparks on the concrete behind him. Ironwood flipped his pistol in hand, ready for a fight. Qrow leaped high, blade poised for attack, when Ironwood realized with a start that he was not Qrow's target. The other man sailed past the General, blade sweeping down to cleanly bisect a roaring Griffon that had been lunging at Ironwood from behind. Qrow landed in between the two severed halves and turned to the General with a sarcastic chuckle and a smirk. "You idiot. I know you didn't do this."

Ironwood's tensed posture relaxed as the man sighed tiredly, a palm on his head. Glynda offered her hand on his shoulder in support. Qrow was uncharacteristically polite as he asked, "So, what now, General?"

Ironwood faced him, hands behind his back as his militaristic air of command returned. "Someone's done the impossible and gained control of _my _machines." He nodded towards the circling Wyvern above them. "And that enormous Grimm seems to be fixated on the school." He turned to Glynda. "Glynda, form up the local Huntsmen and establish a safe zone here in Vale. We need to evacuate Beacon. Qrow, I'm leaving that to you and my men. I still need to get to my ship."

The General's instructions were interrupted as a large crash drew the attention of everyone. The group turned as one and watched in shock as Ironwood's ship listed and crashed into the ground off in the distance. Qrow raised a hand to his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well, it won't be much of a walk."

The remaining Atlesian Knights that had been damaged but still active on the ground around them twitched and finally collapsed, their connection with the command center in Ironwood's ship destroyed with the vessel.

* * *

The effect of the crash was apparent to the group of students outside of Beacon as well, the gigantic Paladin that was bearing down on them suddenly deactivating and sliding to a stop before them. Sun looked on, pleasantly surprised. "Huh. That went better than expected."

To the side, Weiss was supporting herself on Myrtenaster, panting in exhaustion as the taxing effects of her Summon made themselves known. So exhausted was she that she was unable to look up, still panting, as she heard a voice call her name. "Weiss!" Yang's voice!

Yang ran over to her, relieved to see her okay. "You're okay! Have you heard from Ruby?" The heiress shook her head in response. "What about Blake?"

Weiss looked up, still breathing hard, as she pointed to the corner that Blake had ran behind. "She went after an Alpha… and some members of the White Fang."

Yang nodded. "You look for Ruby. I'll meet up with Blake."

Yang ran off towards the direction Weiss had pointed, while Weiss lowered her head and gave her a tired thumbs up.

* * *

The elevator doors slid open, and Pyrrha, Jaune, and Ozpin all broke into a sprint, charging down the long tunnel of the Vault.

Jaune looked around in confusion, gazing at the tall ceiling and long hallway. "What is this place?"

Pyrrha spoke up haltingly. "It's… a type of vault."

Jaune looked at her as the ran, quietly asking, "You've… been here before?"

Pyrrha looked away from the question she knew she'd have to answer.

As they neared the end of the hallway, Jaune mused to himself, "What would this school need to… hide?" He trailed off as he took in the machinery and Amber's inert form held captive within her capsule. Ozpin and Pyrrha rushed forward, the former quickly beginning to press buttons on the machine as Jaune ogled. "What… who…?" Jaune began, unable to decide what to ask first.

Pyrrha turned to him. "Jaune…"

The headmaster cut her off. "Pyrrha! Get to the pods!"

With a glance towards her friend, Pyrrha obeyed, approaching the empty capsule. Ozpin turned to the young man. "Mister Arc, if you'd like to help, you can stand guard here."

The flash of uncertainty that crossed the boy's face was quickly overcome by determination as he turned, Crocea Mors held at the ready as he watched their backs. Ozpin's fingers continued to fly on the keys as Pyrrha looked on. "What do we do now?"

The man sighed. "_We, _do nothing." The pod by Pyrrha popped open as Ozpin turned towards her. "_You, _Miss Nikos… have a choice to make."

Pyrrha gazed uncertainly at the capsule, then looked back at Jaune, faithfully standing guard. Her face fell, and she lifted a hand to wipe a tear from her eye. Then, with no further hesitation, Pyrrha stepped into the pod and watched, wide-eyed, as it closed, sealing her… and her fate.

* * *

"This could have been _our _day!" Adam shouted angrily. "Can't you see that?!"

Blake looked up at him pathetically from where she'd been tossed. The battle had been quick and brutal, Adam simply overpowering her with his rage. She gazed desperately up at him, seeking some thread of the person she had once known to grasp onto. "I never wanted _this! _I wanted equality! I wanted _peace!"_

She raised the katana as it folded into a pistol, fired two shots at him in a useless attempt to deter his approach, but he absorbed the energy onto his sword, hair glowing fiery red as he charged up his Semblance. "What you want is _impossible!" _he shouted back at her, resheathing his sword as he raised a hand.

Blake yelped as he slapped her hard across the face, knocking her to the ground. His tone quieted as he continued, "But I understand. Because all I want… is _you,_ Blake."

She began to lift herself back up, hand tightening on her gun, but he simply kicked her hand hard, knocking the weapon away as she fell back in defeat and he leaned in closed, kneeling over her. "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the _justice _mankind so greatly deserves…" His voice dropped to a savage whisper. "I will make it my mission to destroy _everythin__g _you love."

Blake closed her eyes, waiting for him to strike again, but then they shot back open in fear as she and Adam both turned at a voice calling her name. "Blake!" Yang appeared outside of the ruined cafeteria, gauntlets flaring to life as she knocked a White Fang member away. "Blake!" she cried again. "Where are you?!"

Adam looked down at her and took in her eyes, wide with terror, as she realized his intention. Adam looked back to Yang. "Starting with _her."_

* * *

The ceiling above rumbled as Ozpin typed frantically on the keyboard. He looked to Pyrrha within the capsule. "Are you ready?" The young woman gave a silent nod in response.

Ozpin's voice caught as he said to her, "I… I need to hear you say it." He was not going to thrust this upon her unless she wanted it.

Pyrrha looked to the ceiling. "Yes."

With that quiet affirmation said, Ozpin nodded. "Thank you, Miss Nikos." He typed in the final string of commands, then stepped back and watched as the machine powered up. Amber's pod raised to mirror Pyrrha's, the golden Maiden power within her emerging from her body as the comatose girl's eyes flickered. The power travelled up the long string of cables attached to the back of the pod, up the wall, then down to the other side, where the power began to enter into Pyrrha's pod.

As the glow surrounded her and the power began to flow in, Pyrrha let out a scream, her body unprepared for the sudden surge.

Hearing her screams of agony, Jaune turned in surprise. "Pyrrha!" He approached the machine, looking in at her glowing form as she grimaced against the power. Ozpin looked down. "I'm… so sorry," the headmaster said quietly as the transfer continued.

Amber's eyes continued to flicker as the glow brightened. Then, suddenly, the Maiden's eyes shot wide as she gasped. Machines began to beep and whirr with alarms as a crack filled the air. So confused were Ozpin and Jaune that it took them a moment to realize that the transfer was halting, that the cracking noise had been the glass of Amber's pod breaking, and that the glass had been pierced by a black arrow that buried itself in Amber's chest.

Jaune and Ozpin turned as one, Ozpin's dismay apparent as they took in the lone figure behind them. Cinder lowered her bow and looked warily at them, a sly smirk lifting the corner of her mouth.

* * *

Adam stabbed down, and Blake was unable to contain the scream of pain that worked past her lips as Wilt sank deep into her side. Drawn by her friend's voice, Yang looked in with a surprised, "Huh?" Adam straightened and turned to the brawler, pulling his blade from Blake as she moaned in pain. Yang's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene, her voice murderous as she commanded him, "_**Get away from her!"**_

Adam resheathed his blade, patiently waiting. Blake recognized that stance. Her eyes on Yang, she reached out to her, fist clenched and voice breathless from the pain, as she weakly compelled, "No… _please…" _Whether the plea had been for Adam to stop or for Yang to flee, she couldn't tell, and it didn't matter.

Yang's hair turned fiery gold, eyes blood red as she charged in with a shriek of "_**No!"**_ that morphed into a battle cry as she launched herself at Adam, propelled by Ember Celica, arm stretched back for a crushing punch. Adam waited as she came closer, then sliced out and ducked, activating his Moonslice Semblance as Yang passed him by.

In the next couple of seconds, Yang Xiao Long realized two things. One was that she had overshot her target as she looked down over Blake's prone form on the floor, far past Adam. The second thing she noticed as she looked down was that her right arm was suddenly gone, missing at the elbow, where the bright gold light of her fractured Aura streamed like sunlight. Yang stared at herself, not quite comprehending what had happened, as she hurtled through space, the darkness claiming her before she hit the floor.

* * *

Amber gasped in a final attempt to cling to life, then fell still within her chamber, the glow around her fading. Pyrrha slammed her fists uselessly against the glass of her own pod as the urge of power within her faded, the golden energy streaming back through the cables it had come from to the fallen Fall Maiden's body. The power erupted from within Amber, breaking the rest of the glass on her capsule as it raced outward and into Cinder. Cinder hovered up into the air, fire arcing around her as both eyes now became alight with the Maiden power while Pyrrha pounded on the lid to her prison. Jaune rushed forward, sword raised, even as Ozpin cried to him, "Stay back!"

Cinder looked at him as if he were a gnat, a fire blast erupting from her to catch him on the shield, slamming him back to the ground as he slid to a stop before Ozpin. Pyrrha uselessly screamed his name, pushing with her magnetic Semblance to thrust the top of the lid off. The lid flew toward Cinder, who discarded it with another flash of power. Pyrrha called her weapons to herself and rushed forward, only to be stopped by Ozpin's outstretched arm while Cinder floated to the ground.

"Take Jaune and get out of here!" Ozpin quickly commanded. "Find Glynda! Ironwood! Qrow! Bring them here right away! The tower cannot fall!"

"But I can help!" Pyrrha protested. Her voice fell silent as Ozpin looked sadly into her eyes.

"You'll only get in the way."

Understanding that Ozpin had just spoken what she believed to be his own death sentence, Pyrrha nodded and quickly sidestepped him. Stopping to rouse Jaune, she lifted him up; then, the two students sprinted down the hall. Cinder watched them go, turning to Ozpin as the fire around her and her eyes finally dissipated.

* * *

Adam stalked slowly towards Yang's unconscious body, flinging her blood from his sword as he walked. Before him, Blake grunted with effort as she threw herself down in front of her friend, refusing him access. Adam looked to her face, to the fierce determination it held, and looked down in regret of what he had to do. "Why must you hurt me, Blake?"

Blake remained where she was, unmoving under his stare. Adam reared back with his sword and swung a wide arc. Blake's head detached from her body, lifting from her neck, before suddenly, she disappeared altogether, both head and body dissolving into blackness that quickly faded away. A shadow clone.

Furious, Adam turned, teeth clenched. Blake glanced furtively back at him in terror as she fled, cradling an unconscious Yang in her arms. Adam watched them go, the rage smoldering within him. A nearby Creep lunged, and he swiftly cut it down, not even breaking stride as the body fell limp.

* * *

The two titans regarded each other.

Cinder glared at Ozpin. "This whole time… right beneath our feet. She was right about you."

Ozpin flipped his cane in hand, the rod extended to the side as he faced her down.

She shook her head at him. "Such arrogance."

Ozpin stared hard at her, silently awaiting the battle that was to come.


	44. End of the Beginning

**Chapter Twelve: End of the Beginning**

Green and golden power sliced through the darkness of Beacon Academy's vault.

In the dim light, Ozpin and Cinder both flared brightly as they did battle, Ozpin striking with his cane while Cinder used her newfound Maiden power. The cane collided with Cinder, pushing her back. Her hands glowed with power as the floor beneath her was melted while she slid across it. Using the power, she summoned up several ice crystals that she hurled towards the headmaster. The shards that Ozpin didn't dodge, he deflected, feet remaining still as his cane shattered the ice at superhuman speed, before he rushed forward towards the corrupt Maiden.

Using the same superhuman speed, Ozpin battered Cinder with the cane, a powerful thrust sending her flying back in the air. Cinder burned bright with the stolen power as she halted herself and erupted with fire, illuminating the tunnel. Ozpin thrust his cane into the ground, forming a greenish shield around himself while Cinder reared back and prepared to attack.

The Fall Maiden launched a massive column of fire at the same time that Ozpin leaped forward. The fire caught on the shield, slowing him in his approach for her, before the entire tunnel was brightened and the two combatants disappeared in a brilliant flash of white light.

* * *

An organized system of evacuation had finally been established outside of Beacon, Bullheads arriving and departing in droves while Huntsmen oversaw the evacuation and kept order amongst nervous students and citizens.

Among the authority figures keeping the peace were Oobleck and Port, who had escaped their brawl with the Griffons at Amity Colosseum. Port cried to the crowd, "That's it! Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!"

Oobleck calmly delivered instructions that carried over the air. "A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!"

To the side, Weiss, who had just arrived, looked down in shock at the sight before her, a hand to her mouth. Behind her, Zwei's small bark alerted her to someone's approach, and as she turned, relief flashed across her face at the sigh of Ruby running towards her. "Ruby!" she cried, grasping her friend's hands in her own.

"Oh, I found you!" Ruby replied happily.

"Ruby, where have you–"

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" Ruby cut her off. "What's going on?" Weiss looked away, not sure how to answer after what she had seen. "Weiss? What is it?" Not knowing what to say, Weiss stepped to the side silently, looking away. Ruby looked past her on the ground, eyes widening at what Weiss had been blocking.

On the ground before her were her friends. Nora and Ren were kneeling side by side, exhausted and bruised from the grueling battle outside of Beacon Academy. Pyrrha and Jaune were absent. Behind them, Yang and Blake were both lying on the ground. Blake was wrapped in bandages around her waist, and one of her hands pressed tightly to her hip. Her other hand clutched to Yang's. Yang herself was unconscious, her left hand being squeezed like a lifeline by Blake. Her right arm was gone, missing at the elbow, the stump red with blood and wrapped tightly with bandages.

Blake's eyes were filled with tears as she clutched Yang's hand. "I'm sorry."

Ruby looked on, trying to say something but unsure of what.

Blake curled into a fetal position, eyes shut. "I'm so sorry."

Unable to do anything else, Ruby softly said, "Yang…"

"Hey," came Sun's voice. He walked up to her and looked down at their fallen friends. "She's gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale."

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing!" Nora protested, trying to rise. However, she fell back to the ground with a pained groan.

Ruby gasped in surprise. "What?!"

Sun tried to be the voice of reason. "Look, guys, that giant Grimm is circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!"

"We're not… leaving! Ugh!" Ren to tried to rise, only to fall weakly back to his knees. Sun stared down at him, his gaze wandering worriedly onto Blake.

"I'll find them."

Everyone looked to Ruby. Her voice and face full of determination, she said again, "I'll find them, and I'll bring them back."

"No! _We _will find them!" Weiss corrected. She looked to the two members of JNPR. "Watch after Blake and Yang. We'll be back." With no further room for discussion, Weiss and Ruby turned and broke into a sprint towards Beacon.

Sun looked at them as the ran, scowling. "You better be!" he shouted after them. He sighed in exasperation. "Idiots."

* * *

Faint booms could be heard emanating from the vault as Pyrrha and Jaune emerged from the CCT tower. The students paused on the walkway outside the tower, Jaune fumbling for his Scroll while Pyrrha stared up at the structure. "Okay, I think I have Glynda's number," Jaune said to himself, hurriedly pressing buttons on his Scroll. "Oh, where is it?" Pyrrha remained silently staring up at Beacon Tower. "Pyrrha?" Jaune's voice shook her from her dazed revere. "What was all of that?"

She turned to him. "I…"

A low boom suddenly shook the ground. Within the CCT elevator, Cinder soared upwards propelled by Maiden fire to the top. Jaune and Pyrrha stared at the tower in wide-eyed shock.

"But… Ozpin…" Jaune said slowly.

"There's no time," Pyrrha said, shaking her head. She looked to Jaune, her face commanding as she said, "Go. Get to Vale and call for help."

"Huh?" He looked at her, uncomprehending. "What are _you _gonna do?" Her determined stare at the tower was his answer. Realizing her intentions, Jaune stepped towards her. "No… no, Pyrrha, you can't! You _saw _how powerful she is!" Pyrrha didn't reply. Forcefully, he objected, "Pyrrha, I won't let you do–"

Pyrrha stopped him in the most unexpected way possible. With no hesitation, she gently held her hands to his head and pulled him towards herself, cutting off his protest with a deep kiss. Jaune fell silent in surprise, then slowly melted into the kiss, pulling her closer. Time stopped as they shared the moment, needing no words.

The kiss finally stopped, Jaune slightly dazed. Pyrrha stared wistfully at him with saddened eyes, one hand fondly resting on his cheek while the other stayed on his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly. Suddenly, Jaune cried, "Hey!" as Pyrrha extended both hands, glowing with magnetic energy, as she thrust him into a nearby, abandoned locker.

"Wait, stop!" Jaune desperately cried as Pyrrha began to enter coordinates into the locker. "Stop! Pyrrha, please don't do this!" Pyrrha finished typing and looked at him one last time with regret. Then, the young woman stepped back as the locker blasted off and headed for the city. Pyrrha stood there for a moment, watching as the locker disappeared, then clenched her fists. She turned towards the tower and began a determined walk back into the lobby.

Pyrrha ran into the lobby and headed for the elevator, thrusting the doors open with her Semblance. Cinder had created a gaping hole in the elevator in her dash for the top of Beacon Tower, rendering the elevator inoperable. Pyrrha stepped into the ruined machine and closed her eyes in intense concentration, clenching her fists. Power rumbled around her as she reached deep into her Semblance like never before, using all of her strength. The car rumbled around her, raised an inch, then suddenly sprang to life, shooting towards the top of Beacon Tower at breakneck speed.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss paused as Weiss' Scroll suddenly buzzed to life at her hip. She grabbed it and looked to the caller ID. "It's Jaune!" She answered the call. "Where are you?"

Jaune pulled himself from the locker, lost in the now desolate streets of Vale. "Weiss!" he cried, near hysterical. "Please you have to stop her!"

"What?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"

"Jaune, what are you talking about? Where are you?" Weiss asked.

She and Ruby both leaned back as Jaune shouted back, "_Don't worry about me!" _His voice lowered as he desperately said, "Please, you have to save Pyrrha."

"We will," Weiss reassured him. "Are you okay?"

Jaune let out a helpless shout of rage as she threw his Scroll to the ground, smashing it against the concrete. He fell to his knees, sobs wracking his body as he quietly pleaded, "_Please…"_

The call ended. "Jaune? Jaune!" Weiss cried uselessly. Suddenly, the ground shook beneath them. The pair looked up to Beacon Tower before them, where the Wyvern had finally arrived. The beast circled the tower, globs of black ooze dripping from it and forming a small horde of Grimm at the tower's base. The Wyvern landed on the side of the CCT and screeched.

Ruby drew Crescent Rose as she looked to the Grimm before them. "I have a plan."

Weiss drew Myrtenaster at her side. "You always do."

* * *

The elevator doors swished open, a cloud of smoke flowing out as Cinder entered Ozpin's personal office with a cocky swagger. Cinder passed by the headmaster's desk and gazed out the window, a smirk on her face as she waited.

The Wyvern outside crawled its way up the tower, coming to a stop with its head level to Ozpin's office as it screeched at her through the glass. Cinder calmed it with a gentle voice. "Shhh… this is your home now."

The creature gave a quieter, shorter screech as it looked at her. Cinder backed away from the window, her palm upturned as she summoned a small tongue of fire in her hand. However, the sound of the elevator behind her gave her pause as she looked.

The doors gave a quiet ding as they slid open, only for a hurtling spear to come flying towards her face from within. Cinder's smile never wavered as she easily dodged to the side, the spear flying past her. The Maiden lifted both arms in a block as a shield soon followed, propelled forward by Pyrrha Nikos, who was riding it into the room. Pyrrha flipped away, calling her weapons back to herself as she looked hard at Cinder, adopting a battle ready pose in preparation. The Maiden smiled at her as she hovered in the air over an open flame, her eyes consumed with the Maiden glow as she began their fight.

Cinder swiped with her arm, summoning a wave of fire that Pyrrha rolled under, then launched columns of flame at the young Huntress. Pyrrha dodged two, then blocked a third with her shield, before dashing in with an overhand strike. Cinder, however, merely stopped the blade in midair as Pyrrha looked on in surprise. Holding Pyrrha by her weapon, Cinder thrust her hand into the girl's stomach with a blast, sending her back into the wall. Pyrrha slowly rose, now disarmed, as Cinder raced towards her, propelled by fire from her hands. Pyrrha hurtled Cinder's lowered shoulder, wrapping both of her arms around Cinder's and using her momentum to throw the older woman away. Cinder hit the ground and came up in a flip, but Pyrrha, who had by this time retrieved her weapons, was going to allow her no time to recover. Rushing in with a combination of attacks from both Miló and Akoúo̱ with unrelenting determination. Cinder flipped backwards with a streak of heat, Pyrrha avoiding the attack by leaping into the air herself.

Pyrrha hurled her spear forward, then her shield, as Cinder once again easily blocked both. However, the Maiden was unprepared for Pyrrha to then hurl herself forward, locking around the Maiden in what felt like a tight embrace as they both fell to the ground in a cloud of smoke.

When the cloud cleared, Pyrrha had managed to gain the upper hand, one arm locked around Cinder's throat while the other held her at spearpoint. Cinder grasp trembled as she held back Miló, but the Huntress remained steadfast and never loosened her grip on her opponent.

The Wyvern, seeing its mistress in distress, screeched and flew away from the tower, then circled back towards the CCT.

Cinder's eyes glowed as her hands heated up, beginning to melt their way through the spear as Pyrrha struggled to keep up the pressure. Both of them suddenly looked up, Pyrrha in horror and Cinder with a smirk, as a screech tore through the air, the Wyvern flying straight for the CCT tower.

Right before the beast made impact, Cinder melted through Miló, snapping the spear like aluminum in her hands before she drove an elbow into Pyrrha's stomach, sending the young Huntress flying back against the wall. At the same moment, the Wyvern crashed into the CCT tower, knocking the transmission devices it carried in pieces to the ground below as it fulfilled Ozpin's final dreaded nightmare.

The Cross Continental Transmit System was a complex machine. There were four towers, one in each of the four major Huntsmen training academies in each kingdom, and all were required to be active in order for the system to properly function. With the tower down, major communication across the face of Remnant would be nigh impossible, meaning the loss of communication between kingdoms or even within kingdoms at long distances.

None of that concerned Pyrrha at the moment as she slowly crawled on her hands and knees towards Akoúo̱, at this point her only defense against Cinder, who watched her with that confident smirk on her face. Pyrrha's flesh shivered as she was suddenly exposed to the cool night air, her eyes desperately searching the fractured cogs from the broken clock tower and the rubble around her for anything she could use to fight. Suddenly, she called upon her Semblance and knocked Cinder from her hovering position with a stray piece of metal, quickly grabbing her shield as she scrambled to her feet.

Cinder quickly exploded up from beneath the metal, then began to hurl balls of fire towards Pyrrha. The young warrior dodged each sizzling missile, rolling back as one exploded onto the ground in front of her, briefly hiding her behind a wall of fire. Akoúo̱ suddenly burst through the blaze, but Cinder once again cast it aside with ease as she moved forward to attack again.

Suddenly, however, Cinder looked up in surprise as she realized the shield had been a diversion. Above her in the air hovered several gigantic cogs, suspended by Pyrrha's Semblance. Quickly, Pyrrha summoned her shield to knock Cinder sideways, then thrust down with a cog, slamming the Maiden into the roof with a surprised shout. Pyrrha recalled her shield as her hands glowed with energy and she slammed the rest of the cogs down atop Cinder in a metal igloo that trapped the woman. The orange glow that emanated from within the metal prison lasted a brief moment before it exploded outward, Cinder emerging from the pile as metal was thrown in every direction. Pyrrha's reflexes kicked in as she snapped her shield up to block herself from one, but the impact slammed her back into the remains of a wall, her Aura cracking with a pained "Ah!"

* * *

On the ground at the base of the tower, Ruby and Weiss frantically battled the horde of monsters, quickly running out of time to help their friend. "We gotta hurry!" Ruby desperately cried. Weiss looked to the tower and quickly pointed to it with her glyph hand, a string of the white circles suddenly forming a path up the side of the building.

Weiss looked reassuringly to her friend. "You can do this."

With an appreciative nod and a burst of speed, Ruby leaped to the glyphs and began running up the side of the tower, racing against time to reach Pyrrha before it was too late.

* * *

Always one to never give up until she had given everything, Pyrrha ignored her broken Aura and leaped to her feet, hurling Akoúo̱ towards Cinder as the woman formed her obsidian bow in her hands. Cinder loosed her arrow towards Pyrrha, the projectile flying towards the shield in the air.

The arrow's glass tip struck the shield, shattering around it. However, instead of falling in pieces to the ground, the arrow melted around the shield, reforming on the other side as it continued, unimpeded towards its target and buried itself in Pyrrha's heel.

Pyrrha cried out as she was hit, immediately falling to her hands and knees. Grimacing, she valiantly tried to get back to her feet, but the pain was too much for her, and she fell back to the ground with a groan. The arrow in her Achilles' tendon snapped off on both ends, leaving a tiny piece embedded in her foot that could no longer be removed. Pyrrha rose back to her hands and knees, head bowed, as Cinder circled around her.

"It's unfortunate," spoke the Maiden, "that you were promised a power that was never truly yours." She knelt down before Pyrrha and lifted the girl's chin, smirking victoriously into the other's gaze. "But take comfort in knowing that _I _will use it in ways you could never have imagined."

Pyrrha backed away from the hand, gazing intently into her foe's eyes. For the second time that day, she asked, "Do you believe in destiny?"

Cinder's gaze hardened, her eyes narrowing and her smile becoming a frown as she said, "Yes."

Without further words, Cinder rose to her feet and reformed her bow in her hands, an arrow created by her powers appearing on the string as she stretched it back and aimed at her helpless opponent's heart.

Ruby ran the last few glyphs to the top, landing at the roof as she finally arrived… too late. Ruby watched in wide-eyed horror as Cinder shot her arrow, the glass projectile coming to a stop deep within Pyrrha's chest. Pyrrha gasped, her hand clutching to the arrow, as Cinder slowly walked forward. Pyrrha's short, laboring gasps quickly fell silent, her hand falling limp at her side. Cinder placed her hand on Pyrrha's head, and suddenly, Pyrrha's still body flared with golden light and disintegrated, her ashes floating away on the wind. The only thing left was her bronze circlet, unaffected by the Maiden power, which quietly dropped from Cinder's hand and clattered to the roof.

All of this was reflected in Ruby's eyes as she watched, paralyzed and helpless to do anything. Her eyes blurred, tears filling them, as her hands clenched at her sides. Something within her chest stirred, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to contain it until she no longer could, and the grief all spilled out of her with one scream. "_**PYRRHAAAAA!"**_

A blinding white light suddenly shot from Ruby's silver eyes, enveloping the entire rooftop. Dimly, the reaper was aware of the Wyvern letting out one final screech, and Cinder's shocked cry of "What?!" which were both cut short as the white light consumed everything and her ears filled with a painful ringing sound.

* * *

She didn't know how long she stayed there, in that white realm with the ringing in her ears, before she heard something else.

"_It's alright. I gotcha, kiddo. I gotcha." _Uncle Qrow? What was he doing here, where was he? What was going on?

There was silence for a long time. Days, minutes, weeks, hours, there was no way to tell in this blank dimension of nothingness. Suddenly, she heard a noise, like radio static.

A sigh. "_Nothing." _Wait! That was Dad! Where was he? Where was _she?_

"_Just turn it off!" _Her uncle again. He sounded frustrated and tired. "_Without the CCT, there's no point."_

Wherever her dad was, his voice was getting more distant as he said, "_Communication down across the entire kingdom, no way to contact the outside world… and Ozpin's still missing."_

"_Yeah." _Where were they? Why couldn't she escape this strange place?

"_This is bad, Qrow."_

"_Yeah, this is bad." _

All alone and scared out of her mind, Ruby didn't know what to do, where to go, or how to get out of wherever she was. The last thing she remembered before darkness finally claimed her was the strongest urge she had ever felt to be wrapped in her mother's arms.

* * *

The sun felt warm on Ruby's face as she slowly blinked her eyes open, looking around for a few moments. Outside, a few birds were chirping in a tree, their song sounding sweet to her ears after the strange ringing in the dream she had had. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. She realized immediately that she was tucked under a blanket, resting on a bed in her black pajamas. It took her a moment longer to realize that she was in her room, her actual room back home on Patch, and that her dad, Taiyang Xiao Long, was sitting next to her bed, asleep in a chair. Ruby sat up with a small groan, which roused Taiyang.

"Ruby! You're awake!" Her father sounded overjoyed as he suddenly leaped from his chair and knelt by her bed.

Ruby groaned again, her body aching fiercely. "Ugh… what happened?"

Tai sighed in relief. "Your uncle Qrow found you, unconscious," he replied vaguely. "He got you out of there, though, and brought you home safe."

Ruby looked down, her memories beginning to flood back to her. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright as her thoughts raced to… "Wait! Yang! Is she alright?!"

Taiyang looked down for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "Uh… She's uh… she's gonna be alright. I think she's just… I think it's just gonna take some time for her to get used to things." As Ruby's crestfallen gaze turned downward, he soothed her with, "She's too long to let this stop her." Her dad swiped at his eyes with a small sniff, his hand coming away wet as he smiled again. "I'm just glad to have my girls back at home."

Ruby wasn't going to let his attempts to divert her attention distract her. "What happened to the school?! And Vale? Were they able to clear out the Grimm?"

Tai chose his words carefully before he replied. "Things at Vale are under control, but the school… It's… it's not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead." He looked at her reassuringly. "Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it. But it's not disappearing. It's… kind of… frozen. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school."

Ruby didn't answer right away, confused. She tilted her head to the side and repeated, "I did… what?"

"Hmm?"

In a small voice, she asked, "You said I did a number on it; what do you mean?"

"I…" Tai halted himself and sighed. "Look, that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just… kind of a mess."

"It's always a mess," a familiar gruff voice replied brusquely from the doorway. Tai turned as Ruby looked past her dad to see her uncle Qrow standing in the doorway, downing the last contents of his flask. He looked to her father. "Mind if we have a minute."

"What, I can't stay here?" Tai replied incredulously.

Qrow looked at him, his voice uncharacteristically soft and pleading. "Tai. _Please."_

Taiyang stood with a sigh, then leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on Ruby's forehead. He smiled at her again. "I'm glad you're alright." As he turned towards the door and walked away, he called, "I'll go make us some tea." Passing Qrow, Tai shot him a glare. Qrow merely met Tai's gaze and watched him go, then strolled into the room and claimed the chair, slouching down into it as he looked at his niece, legs crossed. "So, how you feeling?"

Ruby thought for a moment. "Um… I kind of hurt… all over."

Her uncle chuckled. "That makes sense, after what you did," he replied as he crossed his arms.

Ruby looked at Qrow with frustration. "You guys keep saying that! That I _did _something! What are you talking about?"

Qrow adjusted his posture, leaning forward as his face took on a more serious look. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Ruby let her memories flow over her for a moment. "I ran up the side of the tower, and when I got to the top, I…" She suddenly gasped, her eyes desperate as she exclaimed, "Pyrrha! Is she…?"

Qrow looked down at the floor. "She's gone."

"I…" Ruby's voice choked as the tears gathered fresh in her eyes. "I… I got to the top." Sobs wracked her body as she continued, "And I saw Pyrrha… and _Cinder…_" she added with anger, fists clenching around her covers as her tears dripped softly to the cloth. "And then everything went white!"

Her uncle gently asked, "Anything else?"

Ruby wiped her eyes, composing herself. "I remember… my head hurting."

Qrow looked at her for a moment, then asked something that completely threw her off. "The night you met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you?"

Ruby thought for a moment, still overwhelmed by the emotions bombarding her. "I… I don't know. I think it was something about–"

"Silver eyes."

Ruby looked up at her uncle in surprise as he continued, "That's an extremely rare trait." Ruby truly thought now, let her thoughts drift back to that first night. Yes, she could see it: Ozpin, leaning over her with a plate of cookies in hand as he thoughtfully mused, "_Ruby Rose… You… have silver eyes." _Still, it made no sense. "So?" she asked her uncle.

Qrow fixed her with an intense gaze as he began to speak. "You're special, Ruby. And not in the '_Daddy loves his special angel' _kid of way. You're special the same way your mom was." Ruby's eye widened at that as her uncle continued, "Remnant's full of legends and stories, some of them true, some made up. But there's one Oz told me from a very long time ago.

"Back before Huntsmen, before Kingdoms, it was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see, the creatures of Grimm, the most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were afraid of those silver-eyed warriors. They were the best of the best. It was said that even a single look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down." He chuckled. "Heh. It's a ridiculous story."

Ruby looked at him in shock at these sudden revelations. "But… you think that I might be…"

Qrow chuckled again. "Well, a giant monster is currently frozen on top of Beacon Tower, and you're here, safe in bed." He stood from the chair and slowly walked over to the window as he stared into the sunlight, leaning on the sill.

Ruby suddenly thought of something. "Wait, wait, how did _you _know what Ozpin said to me… the night we met?"

Qrow's voice was weary as he said, "All those missions I go on… all the times I'm away in some far-off place… it's been for Ozpin. But he's missing now. Something's been set in motion. With Oz gone, I'll have to pick up where he left off."

"And what could I do?" Qrow turned to his niece, smiling despite himself at her selflessness. "If I'm so special, then I can help, right?"

"You really wanna help?" he replied. "Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now." He walked to the door, turned to face her. "Besides, our enemy's trail leads to Haven. That'd be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you." He winked playfully at her. "Catch ya later, kiddo."

Ruby stared at herself in the mirror as Qrow left. He was right, she knew he was. She felt weak, drained; she'd have to recover her strength. But at least now, she had a location. Haven Academy. _Mistral._

* * *

Ruby looked into the guest bedroom. Yang hadn't been resting in her bed in the room they shared, so this was the first place to look. Sure enough, Yang was lying under the blanket, staring out at the window. On the bedside table rested one of Ember Celica's yellow bracelets.

"Yang?" she questioned softly from the doorway.

After a few seconds of no reply, Ruby sadly turned to move on.

"Ruby." Yang's monotone voice stopped her. Ruby turned back to her older sister and watched as Yang looked at her, tears apparent in her eyes. Without restraint, Ruby dashed over to her, throwing her arms around her sister's neck.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ruby quietly cried, her tears dripping onto Yang's neck.

"But I'm not."

Ruby pulled back, scared. This wasn't her sister. This wasn't the Yang she knew. Her sister was always one to bounce back from a problem, take a hard hit. But now…

"It's all gone," Yang said. "The school, Penny… _Pyrrha," _she continued, her voice breaking a bit, "and…" Yang trailed off, looking down at her right arm, a stump at her elbow wrapped in white bandages.

Fearing the answer, Ruby asked, "Yang, where are Weiss and Blake?"

Yang's voice was halting as she replied, "Weiss' father… came for her."

"What?" Ruby asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Yang explained, "No one outside of Vale knows what happened here. Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust." Yang paused. "So, Weiss' father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. She's gone."

"Well what about–"

"And Blake _ran!" _Yang's angry exclamation cut her off as Ruby looked at her in surprise. Yang's voice dropped lower, resentment on her face, as she continued, "Sun saw her go. After we got to the city, she just… _ran!"_

Confused, Ruby asked in her small voice, "But… why?!"

"I don't know…" Yang replied, her face briefly saddened, before it hardened back into resentment once again. "And I don't care." She turned away.

"There has to be a reason she–"

"No there _doesn't!" _Yang interrupted again. "Sometimes bad things just _happen, _Ruby!"

Ruby looked down at the floor. "So what do we do now?"

Yang looked down at her arm. "You can do whatever you want," she muttered harshly. "I'm just gonna lie here."

Ruby reached out a hand for her sister. "Yang…"

Yang leaned away. "Just leave me alone."

Hurt at the rejection, Ruby faltered and stepped back, turning as she walked to the door. Before she left the room, she turned to say one last thing. "I love you." Yang didn't respond. Feeling hopeless and broken, Ruby left the room as outside, one of the golden-brown leaves of autumn slowly floated to the ground.

* * *

Months passed. By now, autumn had become winter, the fallen leaf long since covered in snow. Ruby gently shut the door behind herself so as not to make any sound, backpack secured to her shoulders and Crescent Rose at her waist. Turning, she walked a few steps out on the path away from her house. She looked up and smiled at the familiar face that greeted her.

"Hey," Jaune softly said, similarly wearing a backpack with his weapon at his side.

"Hey, Jaune," she returned the greeting. "Haven's a long way to go."

"I know," her friend replied. "It's the only way we have."

The plan had been hatched over the past few months, as Jaune had visited her with news from Nora and Ren. What remained of Team JNPR had stuck together after the Fall of Beacon, and everyone had made up their mind that as soon as Ruby was rested, they would make their way to Mistral by any means possible, following the last clue Ruby had gotten from her uncle. Still, she had to be sure.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" she asked.

"The journey will be perilous," Ren calmly replied at Jaune's side, "and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain."

Nora smiled beside him. "But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it."

Ruby smiled back. "Then let's get started."

* * *

A female voice spoke again as the four companions embarked on their journey, walking away from Ruby's home.

"_A smaller, more honest soul… It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breath fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute."_

Taiyang walked into Ruby's room with her breakfast, but he dropped the plate on the floor and dashed out the room at the sight of the small note on the bed signed with Ruby's name. He ran past Yang's room, desperate to catch his little girl before it was too late, while Yang gazed out her window and saw a crow perched on the tree outside her window. The bird took flight with a caw. "_Which is why I will focus all of my power… to snuff it out."_

The voice suddenly turned sinister, twisted, while the second voice, Ozpin, now remained absent and unanswering. "_How does it feel?" _the voice asked him, "_knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing?" _In Beacon, the Grimm reigned supreme, the school now as desolate as Mountain Glenn. "_That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes?" _

In Vale, a blond woman struggled to rebuild a crushed storefront, straining her telekinetic powers as far as she could, but they had already been worn so thin that she collapsed from the effort, along with the rubble. "_Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat." _In an airship in the skies above Remnant, an heiress looked downcast towards her father, worriedly contemplating what the future held for her, while on Vale's rooftops, a runaway jumped from building to building, fleeing the mistakes of her past while staring at the petrified Wyvern atop the fallen Beacon Tower. "_But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away."_

A young hero, uncertain of her future, stared down at her mother's grave, paying one final visit to the spot before she embarked upon her journey. She turned back to her friends, finished, and they walked away, preparing to undertake their quest together. "_Of course they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move."_

* * *

The realm was terrifying, the broken moon glowing pale white against a blood red sky, which reflected the deathly color of the barren wastelands below. Across the land, strange, purple crystals rose up from the ground. The air seemed to permeate darkness and evil.

A long case of deep purple, crystallized stairs extending from a large fortress of the same design led to a small plateau that overlooked the hellish landscape, where a lone figure continued their decree.

"So you send your guardians, your Hunstmen and Huntresses. And when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same _pitiful _demise."

This being had been lost to time, long forgotten by humanity as she faded away even deeper than legends such as the Maidens. "This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin." Turning away from the hellscape before her, the nightmare known as Salem concluded her unheard oath. Her irises burned a bright red against the dark pools of her eyes, glowing like her bleached white skin under the broken moonlight, tattooed by dark veins that spiderwebbed up the sides of her face. She smiled slightly, lips laced with menace. "And I can't wait to watch you burn."

* * *

As he watched the small band while they travelled across the island of Patch, Qrow Branwen looked down to his hands, where he held the last piece of his dear friend: Ozpin's cane. Silently, Qrow leaped down off of the cliff he was standing on. A moment later, a single crow flew up into the sky where the man had fallen, diving down towards the travelling students and following close behind them like a guardian angel watching over them on their quest.

**Author's Note: Well, this marks the turning point in the series, and was one of my favorite and yet the most difficult chapters to write. I really enjoyed the all white scene of the Silver Eyes, and while Salem's reveal was a bit rocky, I believe I did the best I could. Volume 4 starts tomorrow. Stay tuned!**

**-Jek**


	45. Red Character Short

**Ruby Character Short**

The forest was alive with life, the buzzing of bugs in the undergrowth permeating the air and an owl's grave hoo carrying above the leaves. The moon shone brightly above through the dark patches of the trees, glimmering off of a metallic, rose-shaped brooch at her neck as the girl strode silently through the woods.

The red cloak that gathered around her was tattered now, frayed at the bottom where the wear and tear of the journey had slowly worn it down, leaving a jagged edge to the blood red material. The hood was pulled up around her face, the wind the only witness to her silent trek.

Breaking the treeline, she emerged from the dense, dark woods on the crest of a grassy hill. From the hill protruded a rocky extension that overlooked the vast valley before her. Far in the distance, light danced brightly from the burning flames of a small village nestled in the crook of the steep hills, not quite tall enough to be mountains.

Distant screams echoed from the small town as citizens fled their ruined buildings, packs of Beowolves already on the hunt after them. Silver eyes glinted, then narrowed at the observation, before turning upwards towards the caw of a pair of Nevermores that were flocking towards the destruction. Turning away from the sight, the young Huntress drew her weapon, the stylized red scythe that she treasured so dearly, and leaped high into the air as another of the creatures flew by overhead. Quickly, the girl dug her blade into the creature's back, heedless of its pained cry as it flew towards the village as her inadvertent transport.

Below, the Grimm looked up, taking notice of the trail of rose petals that followed the approaching Nevermore like a tail of fire, before the girl pulled her trigger and sliced cleanly through the bird's left wing.

The creature shrieked in agony as it fell, its cries fading away on the wind as Ruby Rose dropped towards the town. Crashing down on top of a stone statue that shattered beneath her landing, Ruby slowly stood, her hood falling back and her eyes closed in pre-battle meditation.

Sensing the new presence, the Beowolves slavered, licking their chops as they began to circle the sudden arrival. With a flash of movement, Ruby's eyes snapped open and she dashed forward with her Semblance, meeting the first snarling challenger head on. Five had surrounded her, all with the desire to tear apart her flesh; with precision and skill, each was cut down. If Ruby had improved on anything in the past six months, it was killing Grimm, quickly and efficiently.

With quick strikes, another Grimm fell to her blade. She ran to her next opponent, leaping high into the air in a spin before she came down and expertly cleaved the beast in two. There were always more to take the place of one that had fallen, and they came for her before their brethren could even begin to dissolve, roaring their battle cry to the young reaper.

Once again, the small pack surrounded her, and Ruby ran from one to the next, slicing in any direction that an opening appeared. She turned and met a brick head-on that threw her back, slightly denting her Aura, then quickly recovered as she searched for the source of the attack. One of the monsters had scaled a building and was hurling the stone blocks at her. Nimbly, Ruby scampered from side to side, before she activated her Semblance again and rushed the creature. The storm of rose petals rose up into the air, dividing into three separate parts, before they reformed into a single girl behind the creature's head that fired directly through its skull. The shot propelled Ruby airborne into a Nevermore, who suffered the same fate as she bounced back to the ground.

The bricks cracked beneath her feet from the severity of the impact, raising a thin cloud of dust that obscured her vision for a second. Ruby gazed through the cloud as large, lumbering footsteps grew nearer, searching for the enemy.

All at once, it hit her: a large, black fist with the force of a Paladin that rocketed her through the air and slammed her through a nearby wall. Ruby dazedly got to her feet, hand held where the fist had struck her, then gasped at the sight of its owner.

The Grimm before her slammed both of its fists into the ground, gorilla body heavily plated. One of the monster's shoulders was missing the bony plating, seeming damaged where the red, pulsating flesh was exposed. With a ferocious roar, the Beringel beat on its chest and leaped forward, intent on ripping her apart.

Ruby dodged the creature's first attack, jumping over the massive body before she came back and sank Crescent Rose's blade into the Beringel's hip. To her alarm, the beast looked back at her, barely perturbed. Ruby gasped in surprise as it reached back and grabbed her by her head with one of its massive hands, holding her tightly in the air before punching her right in the gut with a devastating attack that sent her back against a wall with a hard thud.

Recovering with remarkable quickness from a blow so severe, Ruby jumped up to the rooftops and sprinted forward as she began to attack from afar, unloading her Dust rounds form her rifle form at the Beringel as it kept pace with her on the ground. Two Beowolves had joined the lumbering gorilla as she jumped to the village clocktower, one instantly falling as it was struck down by her sniper spread. The Beringel displayed surprising intelligence as it grabbed the other Beowolf and bodily threw it at her. Ruby easily intercepted and dealt with the airborne creature, but the other Grimm leaped up after her, joining her on the rooftop with a smashing attack that cracked the surface and sent her sliding backwards.

The Beringel took a moment to observe her trying to gauge how the combat was wearing Ruby down, before it jumped in again. Ruby once again vaulted the beast, spraying shots all the while, before she dashed back in with her scythe. The reaper sprang into action quicker than the eye could follow, switching sides and attacking from all angles as she tried to find some leverage against the beast. Zipping back up into the air with her Semblance, she let out a battle cry as she raced down, but the blow was deflected. The monster let out a roar of frustration at its inability to hit her, finally slamming its fists down hard on the roof of the clocktower, which crumbled under the force like clay.

Ruby's cry of surprise faded beneath the falling wreckage as she was swept down into the building by the collapsing rooftop. The Beringel leaped down to the ground and beat its chest again, roaring its superiority over its apparently vanquished enemy. However, the small breeze brought a scent to the monster's nose, and it turned with a confused snort. Within the clocktower, a shower of rose petals slowly drifted out on the wind, lazily passing by the monster. Refusing to back down from its foe, the gorilla let out a challenging roar, daring the girl to again show her face.

The stream of rose petals within the clocktower shifted upward, swiftly travelling up past the windows to the face. All at once, the glass shattered as Ruby Rose flew out into the fractured moonlight, surrounded by rose petals and glass fractals and scythe poised to kill as she descended upon the Grimm like an angel of death.

Ruby once more jumped over the Beringel's first attack, coming to a stop behind it. Twirling Crescent Rose with practiced ease, she looped the curved blade around the Grimm's ankle and fired, the recoil catching the leg and causing the creature to give a grunt of surprise at it tripped. Before it could fall to the ground, Ruby whipped around it with her Semblance, a tornado of rose petals that brought the Grimm high into the air above the burning village. Ruby ceased the cyclone above it, rotating her weapon's head ninety degrees to point straight down as she fell back to the Beringel, the tip sinking deep into the monster's chest as they landed on the ground.

Still surprised by the sudden turn of events, the Grimm groaned as she twisted the blade deeper, then fell silent when she cocked her weapon and fired directly into its head, the body disintegrating beneath her feet

A buzz at her waist made Ruby draw her Scroll. Although the Beacon CCT tower was still down, making long-distance communication impossible across Remnant, local communication still worked. Ruby smiled as the faces of Jaune, Ren, and Nora popped up on her screen.

"Ruby! We saw smoke!" Jaune's worried voice said.

"Heading your way," Ren calmly continued.

"Don't start without us!" Nora finished brightly.

Ruby looked up, still smiling, towards the horde of Grimm that was approaching her. Always more to take the place of the fallen. "You'd better hurry," she sincerely replied before ending the call, then raising her scythe and she rushed forward to the fight, the broken moon above lighting her path…

**At The Same Time…**

In Atlas, Weiss Schnee looked away from the same moon, sullenly holding her arm as she worried about the future, now trapped in the manor that she had been so desperate to escape by her father…

… on a pier at the very edge of Sanus, Blake Belladonna faced the setting sun as she waited for the ferry that would take her home, where she could clear her head of the horrors of the past months in the comfort of her family…

… on Patch, Yang Xiao Long sat on a stump in the yard of her house, looking down at her good left hand and the stump of her right, feeling depressed and alone as she rested from her injury… and her resentment.


	46. The Next Step

**Chapter One: The Next Step**

**Salem's Fortress, Unknown Realm**

Crimson. It was the only color that could describe the barren wastelands that stretched out beneath the window. The seemingly windswept plains appeared to glow a hellish pink beneath the pale light of the fractured moon above. Dotted across the landscape were large, dark purple crystals that jutted up from the ground, some small, others rivalling the fortress in which Emerald now stood in terms of size. Mercury at her side, the chocolate-skinned, mint-haired girl looked down to the large pools at the base of the tower, appearing like glazed black chips in the ground from their height.

Suddenly, one of the pools shimmered. An object emerged from the oozing substance, dripping with the oily black tar as it revealed itself to be a clawed paw. A second paw appeared beside it, and the large shape of a Beowolf slowly hauled itself out of the pool with a roar, fur glistening with the disgusting, sticky matter. Similar Beowolves began to emerge from within the other pools, each one turning and beginning to head away from the large fortress on some unknown mission, never to return once they had shrunk out of sight on the horizon.

Emerald gazed worriedly down at the sight, Mercury sharing her sentiments judging by the scowl on his face. Initially, they had still been unprepared to enter this unknown and demonic stretch of land. Emerald had become terrified the moment they had disturbed this nightmarish realm, not really knowing where on the map they were, or if they even were on a map. Add that to the fact that Cinder's disabled state as they traveled had made acquiring an airship difficult, and Emerald was feeling on edge and unsettled as she stared down at the Grimm-producing pools. However, the snap of fingers behind her reminded them both that they were not here to sight see.

The teens turned back to the room at their summons. Emerald took a moment to observe the room as she and Mercury walked over to the table, as she had immediately been drawn to the window when they had first entered. The ceiling was high, the only source of light coming from a handful of flickering candles that were melted into place atop various crystals around the room and the blood red sky above them. From what she could gather, it seemed to be a meeting hall, with a crystalline table in the center surrounded by seven bone-white chairs.

Besides herself and Mercury standing to the side, four other occupants were seated at the table. The first was Cinder, whose gloved fingers had summoned them. Cinder's appearance had changed after the Fall of Beacon, her body weakened by what had occurred at the top of Beacon Tower. Emerald hadn't asked for or been given specifics, but the effects on Cinder's body frightened her enough to keep silent.

Cinder's long, raven hair had been singed off around her head, now much shorter than it once had been and styled to cover the left side of her face. Her elegant red dress had been altered and elongated into a robe that stopped at her ankles, open at her right leg. Her right arm was sleeveless to her shoulder, a glove adorning the forearm up to her elbow. Her left side was another matter entirely.

Whatever Ruby Rose had done at the top of the tower six months before had horribly disfigured the entire left side of Cinder's body. On her face, a large, gnarled scar twisted across her otherwise smooth skin, covering where her left eye had once been. The burned skin stretched out from beneath her hair across the bridge of her nose, stopping in a slight _X _shape that stretched above and below her right eye. Beneath her hair, a large, black patch covered the majority of her eye and cheek, keeping even worse damage hidden. Her left arm had been afflicted as well, and she was hiding it deep within a long sleeve.

The other three people were all men that Emerald had never seen before. They had only recently arrived at this place, and Emerald was more concerned with helping her mentor than introducing herself to new people. Three seats were empty, one on each side and one at the head of the table, where… _she _would sit. The man to Cinder's right was dressed in white and sitting strangely, crouching in his chair with a disconcerting grin and clasped hands. Across from Cinder, the second man was gazing boredly down at his Scroll, a gray coat over his shoulders; the final man, broad and fit and wearing a green coat, seemed to be asleep, slightly slumped in his chair with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

Like a child meeting distant relatives for the first time, Emerald shifted closer to Cinder, elbowing Mercury out of the way.

The man with the gray coat across from Cinder looked on in disdain. "Yes, yes, do keep your… _posse_ in check," he murmured.

At that, Mercury bristled and stepped forward, but Emerald put up an arm before him, holding him back from advancing further. Cinder looked at them with a pained expression as if wishing she could defend them, but remained silent.

The man grinned beneath his bushy black mustache at that. "You hear that?" He turned pointedly to the broad man beside him. "_Silence. _I've half the mind to thank the little girl that bested you."

The strange, crouching figure next to Cinder turned towards her with an amused smile, his voice even less reassuring of his sanity than his posture. "If I were you, I'd hunt her down," he gave a small giggle, "find her, and… well, she took _your _eye, didn't she?"

Cinder looked at him in muted anger as his snickering spiraled into a fit of cackling laughter that trailed off with a small cough. In response, Cinder opened her mouth futilely in an effort to speak, exhaling sharply in small grunts. The injuries she had sustained had also led to her losing her voice, and while she was able to whisper, Cinder could do little to reply to the mocking taunts of her two accusers. Her breathy grunts unintelligible, she grimaced and motioned for Emerald to lean in closer, whispering into her ear.

The mustached man rolled his eyes before continuing with his belittlement. "Pathetic. Why did you even—"

Suddenly, a loud, metallic _clank_ from the broad doors of the room cut the man off. Everyone looked to the door, then quickly rose to their feet in respect as doors were both thrown open all at once. Out of the darkness and gloom of the hallway emerged the terrifying figure of Cinder and her cohorts' master… _Salem_.

Emerald had only seen the being (she wasn't certain that Salem could be called a woman) twice before, the first time being when they had first arrived at this crystallized fortress and Salem had allowed them entry and taken Cinder away to treat her for her exhaustion and her wounds. The second had been when Salem had summoned her and Mercury to debrief them both on the events that had transpired at the Fall of Beacon, as Cinder's lack of voice had rendered her unable to explain herself.

To Emerald, Salem looked to be what one would consider the personification of a Grimm. Skin whiter than the moon that seemed to glow under its light, dark purple veins that stretched down her arms and up the sides of her face, and soulless black eyes with red irises that glimmered like pinpricks of fire. Her hair was just as white as her body, and was wrapped ornately around her head in a series of buns, with several black jewels dangling from them and tinkling slightly as she moved. Beneath the long, black robe that cloaked her body, her legs were not visible, giving her the appearance of gliding across the floor as she walked into the room. Everyone remained standing as she rounded the table silently, hands moving to clasp behind her back as she walked past her own seat and stood contemplating the crystals and candles against the wall with her back to her subordinates. On the back of the robe, a symbol that looked like a red eye was emblazoned onto the black cloth.

Without turning, Salem spoke, her chillingly calm voice sending a shudder through Emerald. "Watts."

The man in the gray coat who had been taunting Cinder straightened to attention. He looked out of place in this deathly setting, with tanned skin, neat black hair with streaks of gray, and a smooth yellow undershirt beneath an undercoat and necktie. He also seemed very lean, looking like a twig compared to the broad man sitting beside him.

Salem turned, her red eyes boring into the man. "You find such malignance necessary?"

Lowering her arm, Salem motioned for the gathering to sit, her authority unspoken and unchallenged as everyone but the man called Watts complied. Watts remained standing a moment longer, his gaze lingering on his mistress. "I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure." With that, Watts sat down, followed by Salem herself.

"Then I see no reason towards your cruelty towards young Cinder," Salem rebutted. "She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly…" Salem's face alighted in an evil grin, "killed _dear_ Ozpin." Her smile vanished as she turned to Watts with a deadly questioning expression. "So I'm curious, to what failures are you referring?"

Watts gestured towards Cinder's appearance. "Well, the girl with the Silver Eyes."

"Yes." Emerald was startled by the deep, brooding voice of the man farthest from her, whom she had thought earlier was asleep. His shoulders were broad, hairy arms still crossed; Emerald noticed with a shiver that where his arms disappeared into short black sleeves, his skin appeared to be horribly scarred. He was definitely the largest out of everyone in the room. The olive-green coat covered a simple black shirt, and his medium-length brown hair fell over his eyes as he continued, "We've dealt with their kind before." Turning a questioning gaze upon Cinder, the large man asked, "How is it a novice was able to best one of us?"

Watts concurred, "My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been _effortless."_

"It is _because _of the Maiden's power," Salem replied. Turning to her wounded protégé, Salem reassured, "Make no mistake, Cinder: you hold the key to our victory." Her voice turned cautionary as she went on, "But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment."

Cinder clenched her teeth and looked down at the smooth table surface. Emerald's eyes flicked to her mentor in sympathy, but she kept her head respectfully bowed.

"Dr. Watts," Salem addressed, "you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral."

With no argument, Watts nodded. "Very good."

"Tyrian," the leader continued to the crouching man, "I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."

The man called Tyrian met his mistress' gaze with a gleeful laugh. His form was not nearly as heavily muscled as the quiet man across from him, but he was clearly more fit that Watts, despite his similarly lean body. His white pants, held up by a thick leather belt, matched his jacket, which was opened at the front and displayed a series of crisscrossing, jagged scars across his torso. Emerald didn't want to think about how he had acquired them as he answered his mistress, "Gladly."

"And Hazel," Salem concluded with her final piece of instruction to the large, broad man, "I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."

Hazel simply replied, "As you wish."

"Oh!" Emerald suddenly exclaimed as she noticed Cinder raising her finger for a moment. She quickly leaned down and cupped a hand to her ear as Cinder began to quietly whisper her words to her.

When she straightened, Salem regarded her expectantly. "Speak, child."

Emerald's voice was halting and unsure as she slowly relayed Cinder's question. "She wants to know… what about the girl?"

Watts scoffed at that. "What about her?" He gestured towards Cinder's wounded form. "Seems to me that this is Cinder's problem, not ours."

Emerald winced as Cinder's fist slammed down onto the table, her good eye narrowing in a hateful glare towards the thin man. Watts grinned beneath his mustache, enjoying the rise he had gotten from her.

"That's enough," Salem quietly commanded, lifting a soothing hand towards Cinder. Reluctantly, Cinder complied and sat back in her chair, her gaze still lingering on Watts. Salem turned to her left. "Tyrian?"

The man met her gaze with bright golden eyes, his long, brown ponytail swaying slightly as he perked up. "Yes, my lady?"

"Spring can wait," Salem said, revising her original instructions. "Find the girl that did this to Cinder."

Tyrian clapped his hands together in glee, giggling in a way that made Emerald's skin crawl.

"And bring her to me," Salem continued with a smile.

At that, Tyrian frowned with a small groan, almost looking saddened by the rule, before he shrugged and regained his malicious grin.

Salem looked over the table to the other six within the room. "Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And _Haven _will be next." As if by an unspoken command, Watts and Hazel rose. Beside Emerald, Cinder began to as well, but she paused for a moment at Tyrian's quiet laughter. She turned towards the laughter and watched with chagrin as he pointed to his left eye. "_Eye for an eye," _he hissed, his voice lowering into a small chuckle that eventually morphed into a bout of psychotic laughter and echoed off of the ceiling of the room. Cinder turned away as he convulsed in his chair, jaw clenched as the terrifying sound continued. Not for the first time since she had entered this hellish region, Emerald wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into when she had joined Cinder as Tyrian's mad laughter went on and on in her ears like a demonic jester, a sound that she knew would haunt her nightmares for weeks to come.

* * *

**Mistralian Countryside, Kingdom of Mistral**

With a start and a gasp, Oscar Pine jerked awake, eyes darting around in panic as the remnants of his nightmare still clung to him. He glanced around his room for a few moments and let out a long, soothing breath. Standing, he walked over to the door and opened it, gazing down into the base of the barn from the loft. Descending the ladder with sure, quick steps, the boy strode over to the large barn door and thrust it open, the golden sunlight of the Anima countryside streaming in and bouncing off of his plain white shirt. The shirt was telling of his farming profession, slightly darkened in spots by stains or other markings, as were his pants, and his hands wore a pair of simple orange gloves that matched his suspenders.

Birds sang their morning chorus over the farm as Oscar walked out and picked up a nearby bucket with a smile on his face at the beauty of the morning. The old, metal pump creaked slightly as he worked it up and down, a steady stream of water pouring down into the bucket. Gazing around at the dazzling sky and faroff, white-tipped mountains, the young farmhand suddenly glanced down in surprise as water splashed at his ankle. He had overfilled the bucket during the distracting gaze into the sky, a sigh escaping his lips.

Later, Oscar shut the large, green compost tumbler that was set up near the farm, having just filled it, and then slowly began turning the heavy handle round and round, mixing the material within. When it was sufficiently mixed, the farmboy gathered it up and spread it over a small field, which still needed to be furrowed. Seeing this, he grabbed a nearby hoe and began dragging it through the dirt, the lines straight and sure from the years of his upbringing.

Still, his gaze wandered to the snow-capped mountains, giving him pause in his chore as he looked into the clouds that held mystery past the tip and sighed. Farming was a good life, simple if you could do it right, but for a while, it had felt as if something was missing, like he was destined for better things. Gaze furrowed into a frown, Oscar let his thoughts drift through his mind as he contemplated the faraway peaks.

* * *

**Mistralian Forests, Kingdom of Mistral**

"I'm just sayin'," the bright, bubbly voice of Nora Valkyrie spouted as she and Lie Ren walked together through the forest, "there's more members of JNPR on this team than RWBY. It just makes sense to go with that one!"

Ren regarded her with mild amusement. "But _junior _isn't a color."

"Ugh!" Nora groaned. "How can I be more clear?" She counted the letters of JNRR, the team name she supported, off with her fingers. "One, two, three! That's more than one!"

"But we're helping Ruby with her objective," Ren calmly refuted. He proposed the name _ranger_, to be spelled RNJR. "Wouldn't that make her the leader?"

"Guys!" came the voice of Jaune Arc behind them. Both of them looked after his voice to see him crouching behind a log. "We need to focus." After a moment, however, he smirked, "Also, JNRR is way cooler."

"_Exactly!" _Nora cried. Ren began to say something but ended in a small, sighing groan.

Suddenly, the trio felt a rumble beneath their feet. Jaune's gaze was intense as he said, "It's here."

High above them, Ruby Rose flew backwards through a storm of rose petals out of a large cluster of trees on a cliff. Her weapon was in its rifle form and was currently firing round after round back into the forest. Suddenly, her target became clear as a gigantic creature burst forth from the woods. The monster was composed of several large boulders that functioned as its body and limbs, and red energy streaked across the rocks from where a Grimm mask was centered as the face. A Geist Grimm, possessing a conglomerate of stones to form a Petra Gigas, an earth giant.

Ruby and the creature both tumbled down into the forest below them, the stone giant's body creating a suddenly clearing as it crushed or knocked over several trees. Ruby herself was unprepared for the fall, crashing into multiple branches as she descended with a pained cry of, "_Bad… landing… strategy!" _as she hit the wooden branches before she came to a stop on a sturdy limb. Without a moment's rest, Ruby zipped away in a burst of rose petals as the gigantic golem swung for her and knocked her tree over. The lumbering stone menace swung again with its long, clublike arms, exposing the rest of the youths from their cover beneath the leaves.

"Let's get that thing off her!" Jaune ordered, before taking off around the newly-formed clearing, circling the Geist. Ren leaped high into the trees, perching on a limb as he observed the Petra Gigas in the clearing before him.

Nora looked up with a cheery cry of, "Don't forget me!" before she zoomed upward to her partner with a bout of carefree laughter, propelled by Magnhild's grenade launcher as she landed next to Ren. "We need to draw its attention away from Ruby!" her friend said.

"Could use some help!" the blurred flurry of rose petals cried as it zoomed past them, materializing into Ruby for a brief moment to squeeze off a few shots at the Grimm and slice at the hard stone before propelling herself away again.

As Ren leaped higher into the tree to attack from above, Nora opened fire with her weapon, the pink explosions that erupted on the creature's back causing it to stagger. Noticing Ren hopping from branch to branch as he fired his pistols, the lumbering golem swiped at him, taking out two large trees in the process. Ren dodged the massive limbs' attacks and leaped onto the creature, running up its arm towards the central rock that contained its face. Ren leaped high in the air, Storm Flower's pistols tight in his grip, before he spiralled downward in a spinning attack. Metal glanced off of rock as the boy slashed, to little effect.

Ren landed on the ground closeby to Jaune. "Gotta get in closer!" the blond boy cried in dismay. Unlike his friends, Jaune was currently unarmed, his weapon undergoing an upgrade at a nearby village, and he was feeling the frustration of being unable to assist his friends in the battle.

"My blades don't hurt him!" Ren shouted back.

"Crap!" Nora muttered to herself as the Grimm turned towards them.

Ruby loaded a new cartridge into Crescent Rose containing electricity Dust. "How about this?!" she shouted at the stone monster towering over them. She opened fire and watched as the blast flew true, striking the Petra Gigas in the arm. However, the stone was as unaffected by the electricity as it had been by Ren's blades, and the Geist merely slammed the arm into the ground, causing everyone to be tossed clear.

Ren and Nora landed side by side on their feet; a few moments later, Ruby landed closeby, digging her scythe into the ground to slow herself. Jaune flew past them all, bouncing along the ground until he was stopped by a rock between his thighs… _hard._

With a whimper, Jaune fell to his stomach on the ground in pain. "'You'll be fine without a weapon,'" he groaned, remembering what his friends had told him before the confrontation, "'you're the strategist!'"

Nora looked up at the stone terror in frustration. Nothing had worked thus far, and that made her angry. "That's it!" she cried as she darted forward, tossing her weapon into the air as she ran. The gun transformed into her hammer in the air, which she caught and braced for impact. Leaping high, Nora slammed the hammer down hard into the Petra Gigas' arm, shattering the rock to bits. However, before the arm was disassembled, the Grimm drew the rocks back to itself and flung them forwards towards the pink girl. Ruby leaped in front of her teammate and sliced the rock away, then both of the girls ran as the creature came after them with its other arm.

Jaune had just gotten to his feet, and as such, the smaller rocks came hurtling towards him. Jumping and ducking, Jaune managed to evade them all, crying to his teammates, "Hey! Be careful—" only for a stray stone to smack him in the face and send him flying into a tree truck. With a moan, Jaune shook his head dizzily from the impact.

Meanwhile, the Grimm was busily chasing after Nora, who was proving to be quite elusive, rolling and dodging quickly away from its legs and arm. Jaune stood by the tree and looked up in worry as a red symbol suddenly appeared on the Geist's vacant shoulder, sinister and evil as it rotated. From within the spinning glyph emerged a long, black limb like a spindly Grimm arm with clawed fingers. The arm suddenly plunged down into the tree that Jaune was standing by.

"Uh oh…" Jaune muttered nervously. Without warning, the tree suddenly lifted, now the creatures new right limb, as Jaune ran in fright from the swiping trunk as he shouted in terror, "His arm is a tree! His arm is a tree!"

"Big mistake!" Ruby said as she loaded a new round into her weapon, this one fire-based. With a single shot, the wooden limb erupted, to Jaune's apparent relief. However, the Grimm looked down at its suddenly alight arm and simply continued to swing, strikes now heated by the fire. "_Big mistake!" _Jaune cried in alarm as he fled the newly-engulfed arm. Jaune tripped as he ran, arms coming up futilely as the flaming arm came crashing down towards him. Luckily, one of Storm Flower boomeranged through the air to the Geist's mask, knocking the creature down and leaving a black scar across the face.

Ren caught his gun as it returned to his hand, and the entire team grouped up and analyzed the situation.

"Okay, how do we do this?" Jaune asked himself aloud.

"His body is too thick to break through," Ren observed at his side.

"It doesn't care about its body!" Jaune replied.

Nora cut in, "Plus it can keep grabbing new limbs!"

"But it keeps protecting its face," Jaune mused to himself.

"We can't break it!" Ruby cried, oblivious to her friend's quiet mutterings.

"If we knocked off all of its limbs at once, then went for the…" Jaune trailed off as he looked up at the behemoth slowly rising to its feet before him. "Guys, I got it! We hit it—_harder!"_

"Is that it?" Ren asked after a moment, befuddled.

"No, seriously!" Jaune replied. "It's trying to keep us from its face. If we kill the limbs, we'll have a shot to kill the whole thing!"

"Alright!" Ruby replied with a grin. "Come on, team, let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Nora agreed enthusiastically.

Ren nodded, pistols poised for attack. "Right!"

Jaune motioned as he talked, his comrades following his directives. "Ren, left, Ruby, right! Nora?" He looked at his pink friend expectantly. "Ready to try out the new upgrade?"

Nora gave an affirmative nod, hefting her weapon as she took off to her position.

"Right," Jaune finished, "and I will—" before he yelped in surprise as a stone leg crashed to the ground beside him. Jaune rolled away and began to run as the Petra Gigas pursued him, slamming its flaming wooden arm towards him as Ruby rushed in from the side. The reaper slashed with her scythe for the wooden arm while Ren darted through the trees, Storm Flower blazing with bullets. Nora readied her footing and clicked a button on Magnhild, pink electricity dancing along the head of the hammer, while Jaune ran across the clearing as a distraction, waving his arms and shouting, "Uh, hey! Over here!"

Jaune rolled clear of another attack as Ren jumped onto the creature's stone arm, firing nonstop at the Geist's face. Ruby was similarly fighting hard, slashing left and right with her scythe and dodging midair blows. The young girl unleashed round after round towards the stone giant, before she flew into the sky in a cloud of red, feet on her blade. With a twitch of her finger, Ruby fired herself down again, slicing wherever she could at the beast.

Nora dug her feet into the soil, her hammer's head buzzing with electricity, and shouted, "_Ready!"_

Ruby fired, the recoil sliding her to a stop near Jaune. The blond boy cupped his hands and shouted to her, "Use everything you've got!"

Needing no further instruction, Ruby dashed forwards, twisting into a cyclone of petals in the air as she headed straight for Nora. Blindingly fast, the two girls blended into one pink-and-red blur as Ruby scooped Nora up and they flew together towards the Grimm. Ruby gave one mighty slash that got rid of the wooden arm, then Nora channeled all of the energy her weapon had been building into herself and swung with her hammer, crushing the stone beneath it as rocks flew high into the air, then crashed down to the forest floor.

As the girls rejoined their teammates on the ground, the middle fragment of the Grimm containing the Geist mask slid to a halt in the ground. Suddenly from within the rock, the mask emerged, revealing the Geist's true form: a spindly, ghostlike creature with a thin frame and no legs that hovered above the ground. Expelled from its former body, the Geist flew away quickly, zooming over the forest floor in search of something else to possess.

Ruby didn't give it the chance. Even as the obsidian specter floated away, she peered through her weapon's scope and locked on, firing a single round that sizzled through the air and sliced through the mask with deadly accuracy, the body fizzling away into black mist on the wind.

Jaune panted as he rejoined his friends in the middle of the clearing, winded from running from the monster. "Another victory for Team JNRR!" he said proudly, his hands on his hips. After a moment, his heroic grin faltered and he admitted, "Alright, y'know, okay, Ren, I think you're onto something. It's just not sounding great anymore."

* * *

Ruby gently shook the hand of the elderly man before them. Her teammates stood around her, their smiles matching her own, as the man gratefully thanked them for their help.

"We truly can't thank you enough," said the mayor, draped in a long-sleeved red robe and a green jade necklace, his gray hair done up in a simple bun behind his head.

"Just doing our job, sir!" Ruby replied brightly with a small salute. Around the group of former students, the mayor's village was bustling with activity, people walking back and forth between small shops and homes as they went about their jobs and lives.

The mayor continued, "That Geist had been plaguing our village for weeks. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate."

"Well," Ruby suggested, "we are on our way to Mistral. You could always come along with us if you don't feel safe."

The mayor chuckled gently. "I take it you're not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life." His smile fell as he added, "I just wish we could pay you more."

"Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient," Ren reassured him as the team bowed together in respect.

* * *

"There you go, son!" the blacksmith said, setting the new chestplate down on the counter in front of Jaune. "It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws."

Jaune looked on, wide-eyed, at the burly man behind the counter. "Wow. That… I don't know what to say."

The blacksmith smiled, his teeth gleaming like his curved Faunus horns. "Don't gotta say anything! Just put it on! I'll go get the rest." With that, the kind, dark-skinned man turned and headed into an adjacent room through a wooden door. Part of the agreement between the team and the village had been a slight upgrade to some of their gear. Nora's had already been beheld, but Jaune's hadn't been ready in time for the battle with the Geist.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Nora asked with playful impatience after Jaune stood staring at the armor on the counter for a few moments.

"Oh, right!" Jaune stepped forward, removing his older chestplate and placing it gently on the counter beside the new one. Quietly, he said, "Guess I was gonna grow out of it eventually."

"A sign of progress," Ren replied with a small smile.

Jaune sighed. "Progress." He grabbed the new armor and turned back to his friends, his chest exposed to his friends. At the sight, Ruby let out a small gasp and covered her mouth, trying not to giggle. Jaune was mildly confused. "What is it?"

"_What is that?!" _Ruby cried as she pointed towards his hoodie. On the front, a picture of a small, smiling rabbit was printed.

"What, my hoodie?" Jaune asked. "I've always had this."

Ruby chuckled quietly, the guffawed until she couldn't hold back anymore and erupted into laughter as she cried, "_It's got a cute little bunny on it!"_

As Ruby doubled over in giggles, Jaune protested indignantly, "It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal!"

This only caused Ruby to laugh even harder, nearly hysterical. "What did you do?! Send in a boxtop for a prize?"

"Yeah, _fifty!"_

Ruby stopped for a moment as it sank in, then began laughing harder still, slowly running out of breath until she collapsed onto the floor, her lungs giving out as her laughter trickled away into small amused sighs.

"Well," Ren interjected, "I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything."

Ruby's feet dangled in the air a bit as the laughter briefly returned, but she stopped quickly and sat up at the return of the horned blacksmith.

"Can't have a Huntsman without his weapon!" the man said as he rested the tip of Jaune's sword on the counter. The sheath expanded widely until it was in shield form, the handle of the sword protruding from the top. "Made all the modifications you asked for." He gestured to the new, bronze lining that had been added around the edges and styled at the edges and towards the bottom. In the center, Jaune's double crescent emblem was prominently displayed. "That was some fine metal you brought me; accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?"

Jaune's face fell as he stared at the bronze metal up and down the shield. Behind him, his friends remained respectfully quiet as they all gazed with slightly solemn smiles at the lining, the familiar pang of loss gnawing at each of them. Jaune looked up at the blacksmith and simply replied, "From a friend."

* * *

Ruby, Ren, and Nora all looked up as the door to the blacksmith's shop swung open and Jaune Arc stode out into the sunlight. His new armor was tinged bronze like the shield, a familiar red ribbon at his belt. He drew the sword with his right hand, then transformed the shield in his left, testing the weight. The blacksmith looked on approvingly. "He cleans up alright, don't ya think?"

Ren smiled as their friend walked over to them. "He certainly does."

He wasn't the only one. Everyone has undergone changes in the course of their journey. In fact, Jaune's appearance was the least altered out of all of them. Ruby's former school outfit bore the tellings signs of their trip, between holes in her stockings and rips in her cape, as well as a new, white shirt that she had been wearing beneath her black corset and skirt. Nora had found a navy blue jacket with pink stripes that she now wore over her outfit, and both girls' hair had grown significantly. Ren's outfit remained largely unchanged, but he had let his hair grow long to trail down his back, the small pink highlight that Nora liked trailing down in front of his left eye.

"I still think a grenade launcher would've really brought the look together," Nora said as Jaune took his stand beside them.

"Nothing's gonna stop Team RNJR now!" Ruby said with an enthusiastic fist pump.

"Team _JNRR," _Nora replied pointedly.

"Still not a color," Ren said as Ruby giggled quietly.

"It doesn't matter what we're called," Jaune told them all. "As long as we're together."

The blacksmith looked at them fondly. "You kids sure you won't stick around? You've been real good to this town."

"Sorry, but we've got another mission," Ruby replied.

Nora added, "Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what!"

Ren explained, "We've heard the next village over has a working Airship."

"Hmm," the blacksmith mused, "no way to know for sure. Scroll signals were weak enough out heere back when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion Village in a while."

"Well," Ruby said, "there's only one way to find out." With that, the entire team waved and turned down the path, walking away towards the forest and their next destination.

Jaune ran through their checklist. "Food?"

"Check!" Nora said brightly."

"Water?"

"Check!"

"How about ammo?"

"Locked and loaded! Thank you, Schnee Dust Company." At the mention of the name, Ruby looked downcast towards the ground, her fallen face unseen by her friends.

"Got the map?" Jaune continued.

"Ren's got it," Nora replied.

"No, I don't," the green boy replied. "You have it."

"Wait, what?" Nora replied in confusion.

"Guys, please tell me you're joking," Jaune said, to which Nora giggled nervously. "Guys? Guys! Guys…" he groaned.

"Nope," Nora replied.

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

Snow-white ships knifed through the sky past her window. The military was drilling again. It seemed that that was all they did nowadays, ever since General Ironwood had returned to Atlas on edge from the Fall of Beacon. Not that Weiss could really blame him. If the terror the world had felt as it watched had been bad, living through it had been even worse.

Weiss stared out the window from her chair in loneliness, hating her solitude in her room but having no one to talk to. Winter was still in Mistral, handling business between it and Atlas, Father was probably in the middle of a meeting, and… she didn't want to talk to Whitley. Not for the first time in the last six months, Weiss found herself desperately missing her team, her friends.

Three quiet but firm raps came from the door. Probably her butler, Klein. "Yes?" she called loud enough to be heard, turning towards the door as it opened. Sure enough, Klein slowly walked into the room, coming to a stop a few feet away with a polite nod.

"Pardon the interruption, Ms. Schnee," the butler said, "but your father wishes to speak to you."

Interruption. That was a joke. What had he interrupted, her staring out into the sky, dreaming of better times? Weiss kept the thought to herself and appreciatively said, "Thank you, Klein." With one final, wistful stare out into the blue skies of Atlas, Weiss uncrossed her legs and stood to walk to the door after her departing butler, the firm wood echoing a loud slam as it shut behind the heiress.


	47. Remembrance

**Chapter Two: Remembrance**

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

The small _click-clack _of Weiss' heels was muted by the blue and gray carpet beneath her feet as she walked down one of the many hallways of Schnee Manor. The large mansion was pompous and displayed all the signs of her family's wealth, with large paintings of nature scenes from across Remnant on the walls and chairs and tables set up along some of the walls for receptions.

Weiss turned at the end of the hallway and walked across the open second floor that looked down on their vast dining room, her heels now echoing against white marble ceilings. Wherever there was white, the room seemed to glow, the blinding brightness only amplified where sunlight streamed in through massive, curved windows.

At the end of the long balcony, Weiss turned and descended the sloping flight of stairs that trailed straight down away from one of the enormous windows, flanked on either side by a large suit of white armor that stood silent guard over the stairwell.

Weiss didn't even glance up as she passed a gigantic carved statue of a ferocious King Taijitu. Father had summoned her for the first time in months, and the conversation was something she was absolutely dreading.

A voice finally prompted her to lift her head in surprise as she walked down the hallway leading to her father's office. "Good afternoon, sister."

Weiss looked up. Standing before her (and looking just as proper as ever in his blue vest, white collared shirt, and black tie) was her younger brother Whitley, smiling at her with dazzling blue eyes and hair that matched hers in color. One hand held politely behind his back and the other at his chest, Whitley's smile was unwavering as he gave a small bow. "A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change."

Outwardly, Weiss' expression remained passive, but inside, she grimaced. Between him and her father, she couldn't quite decide whom she would rather talk to less. However, she still managed a cordial, "Hello, Whitley," as she turned and walked past him, before circling back to face him again. He had turned as well, his hand still behind his back as they rotated positions. "You're in a cheery mood today," Weiss remarked with slight expectation.

Whitley gave a small shrug and locked his other hand behind his back. "Klein made crepes for breakfast."

Slightly annoyed at his bright mood—possibly due to her own forlorn loneliness over the past months—Weiss quit hiding her disdain and shortly asked, "What do you want?"

"I heard Father shouting with someone in his study earlier."

"Mother?" Weiss asked.

"No, she's already drinking in the garden." Weiss winced internally at that. "I think it was a man," Whitley finished. Weiss looked at him questioningly, suspicious of the conversation. His face pure innocence, Whitley tilted his head slightly with a concerned frown and said, "I just wanted to warn you. I heard he had asked to speak with you."

Weiss looked away before he could see the furrow in her worried eyebrows, gripping her right elbow uncomfortably. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will." She looked up in surprise again at that. _This_ was far out of character from the Whitley she remembered. He smiled warmly at her with a raised fist and continued, "You're strong… like Winter."

Now her brow furrowed in confusion. "You never liked Winter," she reminded him.

Whitley glanced at the ceiling before looking back to her. "True, but you can't deny her resolve."

Her suspicion back, Weiss crossed her arms and squinted at her brother. "You… seem different."

"And you've been gone." Whitley rocked back and forth from the balls of his feet to the heels as he said, "I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon." Her brother turned on his heel, short white hair flashing in the sunlight. "Anyway, good luck with Father," he called softly over his shoulder as he departed, walking past the gigantic family portrait on the wall beside the door to their father's office. As he moved away, Weiss detected the faint sound of arguing that Whitley had alluded to earlier.

Slightly surprised by Whitley's support, Weiss quietly replied, "Thank you," as he walked out of earshot and she walked forwards past the portrait towards the office door. While the heiress had seen the painting plenty of times in her youth and barely glanced up at it as such, if a guest were to have passed by and observed it, the first thing that would have stood out was that no one smiled: not the mother, or the three children, or the father behind his gray mustache. The grim faces of unhappiness went unnoticed by Weiss as she slowly edged towards the office door and the turbulent voices within.

* * *

**Near Shion Village, Mistral**

Voices, refracting at the edge of her awareness, distorted in the blackness…

"_Do you believe in destiny?" _The final question of her fallen friend.

…

"_Yes." _The vanquisher's simple, cold response, followed by Pyrrha's voice, insistently cutting through the darkness with intent.

"_Jaune."_

And then, her own scream, torn from her heart by horrified sorrow.

"_PYRRHAAAAA—"_

* * *

Ruby gasped herself awake, snapping out of the nightmare. Quickly, she sat up and looked around their makeshift camp. Ren and Nora were still asleep under their sleeping bags, and the dawn sun had turned the sky golden orange. Jaune was absent from their circle around the fire, probably off in the woods to refill their water in a lake or pond he had found. In the trees above, a small bird whistled its good morning song.

With a sigh, Ruby lifted a hand to gently rub her temple, kneading away the headache that the nightmare had issued.

* * *

"So the next town is…" Ruby mused as they were walking down the wide dirt road. "Uh huh… uh huh… We're lost," she announced.

Beside her, Jaune leaned over and looked at the map with a grin. "We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time."

"Oh yeah," Ruby replied, recalling the stories Jaune had told about his family. "Don't you have, like, four sisters?"

Jaune hesitated a moment before mumbling, "Uh, seven," to which Ruby giggled.

Behind Jaune, Nora glanced over to Ren. "You know, that actually explains a lot."

Jaune paused. "Wait, what do you mean—?"

"So," Ruby cut him off, "what did you guys do there?"

"Oh, all sorts of stuff!" the blond boy replied with enthusiasm, smiling fondly at the memories. He pointed to a spot on the map. "Over here is a great hiking trail, and over here," he pointed again, "is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because _I _was special." He looked sheepish for a moment. "Also, so my sisters would stop braiding my hair."

"Didn't like the look?" Ruby asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails, but personally, I think I'm more of a 'warrior's wolftail' kind of guy."

"That's just a ponytail," she pointed out.

After a moment, Jaune grinned and replied, "I stand by what I said."

"Uh, guys?" came Nora's hesitant voice behind them. She was currently looking forward in shock, a hand held to her mouth in silent horror. Beside her, Ren's stance was rigid as he too looked forward.

Ruby said, "Huh?" as Jaune asked, "What?" and they both looked up together. Suddenly, their own expressions shifted to shock as they took in the scene before them. The cloudy sky was stained by dark smoke that rose up in twin columns from a destroyed village. The buildings were crumbled and broken, some completely devastated, and an inert body lay prone outside of the village entrance.

In a rush, the four friends sprinted into the village, Ruby and Jaune dropping the map on the path in their haste. The team looked left and right to the smoking, demolished rubble. Ren dropped his backpack as he slowed to a walk down Shion's ruined main street.

"There could be survivors!" Ruby cried to her friends.

"Over here!" Ren called, breaking into a run again as he approached a slumped man leaning against a wall. The rest of RNJR hurried over to him and saw the man, older than all of them but still fairly young, wearing a bloodied wound in his side that was covered by one hand and metal armor.

"A Huntsman!" Ruby said, noticing the armor.

"What happened?" Jaune asked the severely injured man. "Who killed all these people?"

The Huntsman coughed. "Bandits," he replied in a strained voice. "The whole tribe. Then, with all the panic…" he trailed off in a violent fit of coughing, blood trickling from his lips as Ren voiced his unspoken conclusion. "Grimm."

Ren rose from his crouch by the wounded man and walked past the crumbled wall, arms on his head, while Nora, Jaune, and Ruby grouped together to discuss their options.

"Alright," Ruby said, "we can get him to the next village and try to find a doctor there."

"Yeah," Jaune suggested, "Ren and I can take turns carrying him."

"I don't know if he'll make it," Nora put in with uncertainty.

"He will," Jaune replied firmly. "He has to."

Behind them, Ren had walked back over to the Huntsman as Ruby earnestly said, "If we get going now, our chances will be better. I can run ahead and look for help!"

"Guys."

Ren's voice, quiet but insistent, drew them all back towards the fallen Huntsman. The man sat still against the wall, his eyes half-open and dulled, his chest absent of motion. The trio looked on in shock at the dead man's body, despair flowering on their faces.

"Should we bury him?" Nora asked haltingly.

Ren brushed past them all, walking away from the corpse. "We should go. It's not safe here."

Taken aback by the coldness in his voice, Nora turned to him and walked after him. "Ren…"

As the normally bubbly girl walked after their stoic friend, Ruby put a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. The blond boy had lifted a weary hand to his forehead, his other clenched in a fist. "It'll be okay," the young reaper quietly soothed.

Jaune sighed, his fist faltering. "I'm just tired of losing everything."

Ren stopped near the entrance to the village, staring at the ground off to the side of the path. His eyes widened at the sight of an indentation in the dirt, a large cloven hoof that had imprinted in the soft soil. Nora, coming up behind him, caught his stare and followed it, her eyes also alighting in recognition. The two friends lifted their gaze to each other in a silently conversing glance.

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

"I'm not talking about the good of my company; I'm talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!" came the harsh voice of Weiss' father through the door. The heiress flinched at the sound as her hand froze above the knob of the door.

"That is a load of garbage and you know it," replied a second male voice, one that widened Weiss's eyes in recognition. That sounded like General Ironwood. What was he meeting with her father about?

"I beg your pardon?!" her father lashed back, voice indignant, as Weiss quietly cracked the door to peek inside. Indeed, there was the General, sitting in a chair before her father's bookcase, in a new white coat and sporting a short beard on his face and above his mouth.

"Jacques," Ironwood asked in a pleading voice, "will you please just hear me out?"

In response, her father slammed his small glass down on the table angrily, the liquid and ice jostled by the movement. In his smart white business suit that matched his white hair and bushy mustache perfectly and sported a small red kerchief in its breast pocket, Jacques Schnee looked every bit the cunning businessman he was, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers as he took a small calming breath before continuing, "You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James, but what you're suggesting is absurd!"

"You are blowing it out of proportion," Ironwood replied.

Losing control again as he leaped from his seat, Jacques' eyes blazed as he cried, "The council will never agree to it!"

Keeping his voice calm as he rose slowly from his own seat, Ironwood lifted an eyebrow pointedly and replied, "You forget, I hold _two _seats on the council."

Jacques' frustration was apparent as he said, "Your Dust embargo has already cost me millions; I can promise you I have not forgotten!"

"So this _is _about you."

Jacques sighed, before they both turned at the abrupt sound of the door closing. Weiss had inched her way slowly into the room but had not meant to be noticed, and now stood with her hands held behind her back.

Ironwood turned towards her apologetically. "Miss Schnee!" he quietly said, offering a polite bow. "My apologies. I should have been gone by now."

Not wishing to be burdensome, and also preferring the General's company, Weiss stammered, "It-it's okay."

Ironwood looked to Jacques. "We'll continue this at another time."

Now calmed again, Jacques replied, "Indeed. Klein can show you out."

The General chuckled softly as he walked towards the office door. "Don't worry, I know the way." He turned as his hand closed on the doorknob and opened the door. "Until next time, Jacques." Jacques nodded silently. Before he walked out, Ironwood looked to Weiss with a kind smile. "Please know, you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it." With that, Ironwood strode out, the door closing behind him.

Weiss stared after the man, already missing his comforting presence. Her father's quiet yet reproachful, "Did you forget your manners while you were away?" did little to comfort her as she glared at the door from the comment. However, the Heiress collected herself with a sigh as she turned to her father, who had moved behind his large, wooden desk, separated from the table and chairs he had just been seated at by a few steps.

"No, Father," Weiss replied. "I'm sorry."

As if the question had been rhetorical, Jacques didn't reply, instead moving on to another subject as he spoke with a widely spread hand, "Can you believe there are still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon? To Vale?"

Quietly, so as not to invoke his ire upon her, Weiss offered, "Well, they weren't there."

As he sat down in his chair, Jacques harshly spat, "It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't _stripped _of his rank!" He swivelled away from her, facing the large portrait of himself at a younger age on the wall behind him. Half to himself, he muttered, "I suppose the Council trusts him… for better or worse."

Taking a risk, Weiss said in a small voice, "I trust him."

With a small sigh that dripped condescension, Jacques turned back to his daughter and launched into a small speech. "Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other Kingdoms. A 'precautionary measure,' as he puts it, until we're certain no one is going to declare war." Jacques had rested his head on one hand in aggravation, and now he once again steepled his fingers. "How anyone could possibly find that sound logic is beyond me." Weiss clung to her left arm, unsure of what to say. However, she perked up as her father continued, "Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks. We need to show the people of Remnant that we are on their side. That we are all victims of the Fall of Beacon."

Surprised by her father's uncharacteristically selfless proclamation, Weiss broke into a smile. "That's… wonderful news!"

"I know," Jacques said, smiling not at her but at his idea. He motioned towards her. "And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you _performed _at the event."

Weiss blinked at him, unsure if she had heard correctly. "Excuse me?"

Unaware of the sudden disgust that simmered beneath the surface, Jacques went on, "Many forget that you were there. My own daughter, a _Schnee, _on the grounds, defending another Kingdom! We need to remind them, and we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever!"

Sick of the smooth talk, Weiss bluntly asked, "Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"

Jacques sat back with the small smile of an experienced businessman preparing a persuasive pitch. "I think it would make a lot of people happy."

Weiss sighed. Always centered on profits, not even considering the fact that another Kingdom had been decimated, that people had died. None of these thoughts she voiced as she compliantly replied, "I'll start practicing."

Jacques looked at her with the same gleam in his eye as if he had just signed a new contract. "That's… my girl."

The meeting concluded, Weiss showed herself out with a brief farewell, carefully making sure to shut the door quietly as she left her father's office. She turned to make the lonely walk back to her room, but she paused stopped at a warm voice and friendly face.

"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee?" Klein offered with a kind smile. "I always find he keeps his study dreadfully cold."

Weiss accepted the steaming mug with a grateful smile. Klein Sieben had been the Schnees' butler since her childhood, in some ways raising her more than her own parents ever had, and they had developed a wonderful friendship in all those years. "Thank you, Klein," she said, her appreciation apparent.

The butler leaned in. "You know what I think?" He lifted his tray before his face, and when he dropped it, Weiss smiled at the sight. When she was younger, Klein had shown her a small trick he had learned over the years: he could make his eyes change color. The trick had never failed to make her smile or burst into laughter, and now, his normal brown eyes were red as he scowled and said in a gravelly voice, "I think it's to balance out all his hot air."

Weiss' eyes widened in a mix of amusement and alarm as she turned to make sure the door was completely closed behind her. "Klein!" she mildly scolded as they both laughed together. Suddenly, Klein sneezed, his eyes turning blue. In a higher voice, he said, "Oh, apologies madam," before he sneezed again, causing Weiss to laugh even more.

With a twitch of his mustache, Klein regained control, his eyes turning light gold as he looked up at her with a smile. "Ah, there's my happy little snowflake."

Weiss let out her meeting with her father and all of the emotions she had been feeling over the past half year in a short, deep sigh, then looked to Klein with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Klein."

* * *

**Mistralian Countryside, Kingdom of Mistral**

"_Jaune!"_

The voice echoed around her awareness, increasingly urgent. What sounded like metal against metal, a weapon being drawn.

"_Jaune! Jaune!"_

* * *

Ruby's eyes drifted tiredly open. The broken moon was still gleaming palely in the sky above, and the woods were enveloped in night, the sounds of the nocturnal forest filling her ears. With a slow, deep breath, Ruby gently closed her eyes again, trying to block the dream out from her awareness. As she drifted back, she swore she could hear the voice already starting again. "_Jaune."_

Her silver orbs snapped open. That wasn't a dream. That was _real, _she had heard it. Ruby sat up in her sleeping bag. Small lightning bugs glowed blue in the forest like dancing lights. Around her, the dim campfire was a pile of embers, Nora and Ren still asleep around it. However, Jaune's bag was noticeably vacant, the blond boy nowhere to be seen. Past the trees beyond his bag, Pyrrha's voice echoed, something that sounded like, "_Follow me" _reaching Ruby's ears.

Standing, Ruby began to slowly approach the voice, a little lightning bug leading her. Suddenly, she came up on a small clearing and hid behind a small tree, watching what was playing out before her.

Jaune stood in the middle of the clearing, Pyrrha's ribbon at his waist as he drew his sword and hefted it in the moonlight. He turned, his shield in his opposite hand, and looked down at his Scroll, which rested on a stump where he could see it. On the screen, a video of Pyrrha was playing, the red-haired girl smiling at the camera as she gave instructions.

"_Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced," _the recorded Pyrrha began. "_Follow these instructions. Shield up."_ Jaune raised his shield accordingly, peering over the top. "_Keep your grip tight." _His hand clenched around the handle of Crocea Mors. "_Don't forget to keep your front foot forward. Ready? Go." _

With a mighty cry, Jaune stepped forward and slashed the air. "_Again." _came Pyrrha's voice. He advanced again with another crying slash. "_And again." _Jaune spun around with his slash, his shout echoing through the trees. Winded from the large swing, Jaune panted for a moment as Pyrrha's face lit up in a giggling smile. "_Okay, now assuming you aren't cheating, we can take a break."_

Jaune relaxed his posture and closed his eyes as he breathed, then turned toward the video. "_I know this can be frustrating," _Pyrrha continued, unaware of his grief-stricken face, "_and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you." _Her smile was warm smile glowed brighter than the lights of Beacon Tower in the distance behind her. "_I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know this is just the beginning."_

Pyrrha's eyes looked away for a moment, her head turned as she tried to find words. "_Jaune, I… I…" _Seeming to steel herself, Pyrrha smiled at him with her hands cupped at her chest as she finished, "_I want you to know that I'm just happy to be a part of your life." _With a final, heartbreaking "_I'll always be here for you, Jaune," _the video suddenly rewound to the beginning, the loop playing back over and over as Jaune's head sagged. He looked up, pained in body and soul, as Pyrrha began again, "_Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions."_

With a sigh, Jaune assumed his readied position as Pyrrha told him to go and he slashed through the air again with a cry. Ruby, who had witnessed the whole scene, looked on in silent dismay as she watched her friend torment himself, slashing with increasing ferocity. The young girl turned away from the painful scene and walked back towards the camp, Jaune's cries ringing in her ears.


	48. Of Runaways and Stowaways

**Chapter Three: Of Runaways and Stowaways**

**Menagerie-bound Passenger Ferry**

The waves were even and blue, driven gently in a furrow by the large ship as it drove through the water. Overhead, a few seagulls circled the passenger ferry, crying out their shrill calls over the water. Passengers walked about on the ship, most of them Faunus, which made sense, given their destination.

Blake looked out over the ocean, watching the water as it lapped against the ship. A sudden sound caused her to turn with a start. She looked over her shoulder and watched two nearby children laughing together over something. A smile tickled her lips but failed to fully blossom as she turned back to the waves.

"Travelling alone?"

Blake turned in an instant, hand already on Gambol Shroud's hilt. Her tensed posture relaxed when she saw the speaker. A short man in a navy coat stood before her, wearing a white cap that marked him as the ship's captain and a full, white beard. The man smiled warmly at her as he lifted his hands soothingly. "Now, now, no threat here. Just here to chat."

Straightening and releasing the tension as her hand dropped back to her side, Blake replied, "And why is that?"

The captain moved to mimic her earlier posture, leaning against the railing with his arms to glance at the ocean before turning and resting on his elbows. "Well, not many people travel by boat on their own. It can be quite a lonely voyage." He cocked a significant eyebrow at her. "But I've found those that do tend to have the more… interesting stories."

Blake slowly turned away from the man. "Maybe it's just, better for some people to be alone—" She gasped suddenly as the children ran behind her laughing and she jumped at the unexpected noise.

The captain laughed at her reaction. "Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."

"Who says I'm paranoid?!"

The man laughed again. "No one, dear, no one. I'll leave you be." He smiled as he walked off, turning to her to add, "But, ah, fair warning, these trips can be awfully boring."

Blake watched as he walked around the corner and disappeared from view; then, she turned back to the ocean. Her hands suddenly came up to her head and untied her black bow, the ribbon in her hand no longer disguising her Faunus ears. Blake stared down at the black thread. "Won't be needing this," she mused to herself as she released the bow, the wind taking the fabric away into the water where it slowly began to drift away.

Blake turned from the railing and walked back inside the ship, never noticing as a hooded figure watched her from the end of the deck. The brown-cloaked figure watched her disappear within the ship and slowly began to walk after her.

In the water, Blake's bow still drifted for a moment. Unseen by any of the passengers, a large red fin suddenly broke the surface beside the black fabric. When the fin disappeared, the ribbon was gone, vanished beneath the watery depths.

* * *

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

Zwei was peacefully asleep in the corner in his bed, his soft little body rising and falling with slumber. He seemed at rest, carefree in the tiny plush bed, confident that he was safe and sound.

Yang found herself envying him. She sat on the couch, staring up at the blank TV. Her father was out today, supposedly handling some mail business for Signal Academy and going shopping, which meant she had been left alone at the house… again.

Not that that was something she wasn't used to at this point. Ever since Ruby had taken off with the others, Yang had been left mostly to herself while Taiyang was handling business. She got the impression that he was worried about her after what had happened, but despite his constant attempts to talk, he didn't want to intrude on her life, wanting her to sort things out herself and approach him when she was ready. And so, Yang had been confined to infinite boredom, stuck at their home on the island of Patch off the coast of Sannus, her lifestyle bleak and empty.

Her outfit reflected as such. Ever since her return, Yang had traded in her flashy Huntress outfit for normal clothes, a simple grey jacket that she wore over an orange shirt with brown pants. Even her long, precious hair she had altered, putting it up in a large, billowing ponytail behind her head. Her right jacket sleeve was knotted at the elbow joint where her arm now ended. But the biggest difference were her eyes. The beautiful lilac orbs that had once glowed with life and energy like twin sparks now seemed dull and drab as unpolished gems and stared emptily at the TV.

Yang glanced to the side table next to the couch and the pile of books that rested atop it. Her dad had gotten them for her in an attempt to rouse her from her depressed stupor, but she had never been much of a reader. Instead, as she did so often these days, she turned on the TV to see what was happening outside of Patch.

The screen instantly filled with an image of Glynda Goodwitch being filmed in Vale, trying to use her telekinetic Semblance to repair a storefront before she collapsed from exhaustion. The anchor had appeared mid-sentence and was saying, "—with no end in sight. Try as they might, the local Huntsmen and Huntresses can't seem to get a hold of the situation at Beacon Academy."

Yang flicked to another news channel displaying updates on the CCT Tower at Beacon. "Though the fail safes have supported wireless communication within the Kingdom, the loss of the CCT Tower continues to prevent contact with the outside world. Talks with Atlas officials regarding repairs have so far—"

Once again, Yang changed channels mundanely. "—Vale Council voted this week to continue to ban any air traffic that does not have a direct correlation with evacuation." Even all these months later, they were still pulling people out of Vale. "The council has made it clear that they feel—"

Once again, the channel changed, but now, Yang sat up suddenly as Lisa Lavender appeared on screen and began to speak. "Multiple rumors continue to circulate as to who was behind the attacks at the Vytal Festival Tournament." Onscreen, the caption read _WHITE FANG MEMBER, ADAM TAURUS, PRESENT DURING BEACON GRIMM ATTACK_. "While no one knows for sure," Lisa continued, "officials have confirmed that high-ranking White Fang member, Adam Taurus—" Adam's picture flashed onscreen, causing Yang to flinch, "—was present for the attack. Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force—" The TV clicked off at Yang's command.

Behind her, a door opened. "I'm home!"

Yang leaned back over the couch, her head staring at the upside down form of Taiyang Xiao Long, her father. "Hey dad," she greeted without a smile. She watched as he came around the side of the couch, a pile of boxes in his arms as he smiled warmly at her.

"Guess what came in today?" he asked with a smile.

"What?"

"I can't wait for you to try this." Even with his back turned, her father's smile was evident in his voice as he walked out of sight into the kitchen to set down his boxes. Yang stared after him, wondering how he could be so cheerful.

Ever since she had been a child, her father had always been kind, but distant, drowning his sorrows over the loss of his two loves in his work at Signal, which had caused him to be a bit withdrawn from both her life and Ruby's. However, ever since her return, he had made an extra effort to be there for her, constantly asking if she needed help or wanted to talk.

She definitely bore his resemblance, between their shared blond hair and lilac eyes. He was always one to dress easy, between his brown vest over a tan shirt and loose-fitting cargo shorts. She looked at his arms as he walked back into the room, a single box in hand. His right arm bore a dark tattoo, shaped slightly like a burning heart, that she had often believed he had gotten after he had fallen in love with Raven. He shared Qrow's stubble around his cheeks and chin, and most of all, he had Summer's bright, caring smile, which now rested upon his face as he walked towards her with the box.

Tai set the box down on the table. It was long, grey, and Yang's eyes were immediately drawn to the Atlas emblem printed on the top of the box. She stared at the package for a moment as if it would jump at her.

"Well?" her father gently encouraged.

"It's… for me?"

He smiled at her again. "For you and you only."

Yang looked back to the box and slowly reached out. She lifted the lid gently, leaning over to peer into the package. Taiyang looked to her with an expectant smile as she stared at the contents.

There, resting in the box's fabric, was a gleaming silver, prosthetic right arm. Yang looked at the object for a long moment, glancing up with an unreadable expression towards her father.

Taiyang beamed. "Brand new, state of the art, Atlas tech. You know, I thought I was gonna have to pull some strings, call in a few favors, but you earned this one all on your own, kiddo."

"Huh?"

"Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this, for you." Tai's smile softened towards his daughter. "He wanted me to tell you that you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself."

Yang looked at him impassively, silent.

"Well? You going to try it on?"

She glanced away, staring back down at her lap. "I, uh… I'm not feeling too great right now. Maybe later?"

Taiyang's shoulders slumped, the corners of his mouth tugging down a tad. He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to retain an understanding expression as he sighed. "Well, alright."

Yang stood and walked to the stairs, leaving the opened package and arm sitting on the table where they had been placed. She paused as she ascended, looking back at Taiyang over her shoulder. "Thanks, Dad," she said in a quiet voice, then continued up the stair to her room.

Tai watched her go, his head drooping and shoulders slumping in a useless sigh.

* * *

Yang did her best to scrub clean the cup she held with her one good hand. She had been going through her personal chores over the course of the day: sweeping the porch, checking the mail, and doing dishes in an effort to alleviate some of the boredom. She had fallen into the habit a few months ago, and now it was basically second nature. It was one of the few things she found that took her mind off of everything, giving her at least a slight sense of purpose.

She turned to put the cup away, but the slippery glass escaped her grasp and fell to the floor with a loud smash. All at once, Yang gasped at the noise, stumbling backwards as the scene of a glowing white and red mask slashed across her mind. She reached out with her hand against the counter to steady herself, breathing hard for a moment as she shook the memory away. Angry at herself, she slammed her fist onto the counter and sighed, kneeling to clean the glass up. Unnoticed from the doorway, Tai looked on in concern, his brow furrowed in worry before he slowly turned and walked back into the living room.

* * *

**Menagerie-bound Passenger Ferry**

Twilight would soon befall the ship, the pale, gold-streaked sky announcing its soon-to-be arrival. The gulls still let out their calls overhead as Blake once again surveyed the ocean before her from the railing, pausing a moment to watch a Faunus couple as they walked past.

She turned to walk away, but as she did, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She turned and looked up. There, on the upper deck, a figure in a brown cloak watched her impassively. Immediately, Gambol Shroud's katana was in her hand.

"Who's there?!" she demanded of the hooded person.

The observer quickly turned and ran away quickly, fleeing from the question. Blake watched them go, the slight sounds of splashing from the side of the ship not drawing her attention. However, when a large wave it the ship's side and caused it to list, she took notice, stumbling with a surprised grunt as she tried to keep her balance.

To the ship's side, the creature that had caused the disturbance slowly hauled itself out of the water, covering the ship in its long, menacing shadow. With shock and horror, the crewman manning the crow's nest of the ship leaned down and shouted to his captain, "_Red Alert!"_

Blake looked up at the beast as the alarms blared to life and the captain came running out onto the upper deck with his first mate. Both of them stopped and stared at the massive girth before them. "By the gods…" the captain whispered to himself.

The massive beast was long, the black body of a serpent bearing a few red dorsal fins, white plates on its underbelly, and a massive, dragonlike head with glowing yellow eyes. The beast reared forward with its small arms and let out a massive roar towards the passenger vessel.

Immediately, the captain turned to the ship's interior. "All hands to battle stations!"

At his side, his first mate met his gaze, her eyes filled with worry. "Sir, we've never fought a Grimm this big!"

The captain tipped his hat back in awe as he turned back to the Sea Dragon and replied, "We've never _seen _something this big." His face steeled. "But we'll give'er a fight nonetheless!"

Needing no directive, Blake raced into action beneath them. The Faunus Huntress sprinted to the bow of the ship and leaped high into the air. Activating her Semblance, Blake momentarily joined hands with her shadow, using the extra momentum to fling herself higher as she flung her bladed pistol into the Grimm's neck. The black blade sank in, little more than a needle in the great black neck, as Blake swung around the creature into the air above it. Whipping her pistol free, Blake fired off round after round into the beast's neck, eliciting a roar from the creature. However, the shots were small and likely ineffective against a Grimm this big, and indeed, the creature seemed to regard her rather like a pesky insect as she fell back to the ship.

Blake landed in the crow's nest as the captain carefully steered the ship. The beast lunged at her, but a swift turn of the wheel prevented the dragon from making contact. The girl continued to fire on the Grimm as it dipped back beneath the surface of the waves. With the press of several buttons, the sides of the ship opened up, revealing defensive cannons all levelled in the direction of the creature.

Blake leaped high again, slashing away with her weapon and lassoing onto the Grimm with her pistol's ribbon as the cannons opened fire. The blasts were mostly ineffective against the white plating on the creature's body, and Blake was thrown hard to the deck as the Sea Dragon once again dipped beneath the surface. Blake slowly rose, favoring her left shoulder from the hard tumble.

"Hold steady, men, it's not done with us yet," ordered the captain firmly. To the first mate, he shouted, "_Get the heavy cannon loaded!"_ Immediately, the girl hurried to see to the command, and momentarily, a larger cannon rose up out of the deck, far larger than any of the others belowdecks.

As the heavy cannon took aim on the Grimm, the Sea Dragon rose out of the sea once again, facing down the ship with menace. The largest dorsal fin on the beast's back suddenly split, unfolding around the creatures body into two broad, red membranes. The creature leaped out of the water on its wings and roared, the flapping sending a gust of wind that slid Blake slightly across the deck as she crouched to hang on.

"Heavy cannon, _open fire!"_

At the captain's command, the large cannon began to bombard the creature in the air, but the serpent easily slinked around the blasts. From above the ship, the creature opened its mouth wide, forming a ball of energy within as it aimed threateningly at the vessel.

From the deck, Blake tensed herself to spring, but suddenly, she felt feet on her back as someone jumped on top of her. "Hey!" she cried out as they sprang up towards the dragon, twisting in midair as the brown cloak flew free. In its place, a young boy was hurtling towards the Grimm, dressed in a white coat and jean shorts. His blond hair and tail shimmered in the dying sunlight, and he clapped his hands together in front of him, a golden shimmer producing two light clones from his body.

Blake almost didn't believe it. "_Sun?!"_

Sun Wukong and the clones landed on the back of the dragon's head. The clones seized a pair of long whiskers on the creature's muzzle while Sun grabbed its upper lip. "Not today, pal!" With a grunt, the dragon's head was hauled upward, the energy charge in its mouth firing harmlessly across the sky.

"What are you doing?!" Blake cried to Sun as he gripped the two whiskers himself, his clones evaporating.

Sun began trying to steer the dragon, which snarled and bucked beneath him as he cried, "Oh, uh, you know, just… hanging out!"

The Sea Dragon charged itself with electricity and released it over its skull, the small zap frying Sun free as he fell with a surprised shout. Blake gasped and launched her pistol at the crow's nest. She looped herself up and around, using the momentum to fling herself towards Sun's falling form. The girl snatched her friend from the air before he could fall, both of them landing on a cropping of rocks protruding from the ocean near the ship.

Sun looked up with a smile in Blake's arms. "My hero!"

His smile disappeared as she looked at him sternly. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"Yeah?!" he replied. "Well it looks like you can use all the help you can get!"

Blake rolled her eyes and dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. "Ugh. Just shut up and fight!" With that, she ran back across the rocks towards the ship, which was still under attack from the serpent's electric blasts.

Sun looked after her with a smile. "Yes ma'am!"

"Starboard defenses are down, sir!" the first mate cried within the ship's command deck.

"We still got the heavy cannon?" the captain asked.

"Aye," came another crewer's voice, "but it's moving too fast! We can't land a hit!"

The captain growled. "How about the engines?"

The first mate pulled up a display. "Fully functional, captain!"

"Well alright then!"

On deck, Sun let out a laugh as he leaped on top of the heavy cannon, using his bo staff to deflect an energy burst from the dragon's mouth. "Huntsmen!" the captain called to them. Blake and Sun both turned and looked towards him. "If you can clip its wings and draw it out towards the bow, we could take it!"

Blake glanced to Sun, who was grinning at her with his staff slung across his shoulders. "I mean, you're the one with the swords."

The dragon stared at them, once again charging its blast in the sky, as Sun leaped to the bow, summoning three of his clones beneath him that launched him high in the air with a cry of, "Now or never!" Blake jumped after him onto the first, off of which she jumped high to the second. The second shoved off on her with its feet towards the third. As the third clone gripped her arm, it slung her upwards to give her more speed as she flew towards the monkey Faunus.

Sun laughed and opened his arms to catch her, but then frowned in confusion as she twisted in midair to land on his shoulders. With one final push, Blake dropped him down below and rose high above the dragon, seizing her katana as she flew down through a storm of electrical bolts, twisting and dodging in her fall to avoid the deadly energy.

Her feet made contact with the tip of the wing, and she ran down the red, webby section as she dragged her sword behind her, carving a deep furrow in the wing that drew a shriek from the Sea Dragon.

Below her, the rocks loomed up, and she twisted in midair in an attempt to land on her feet until a familiar face zoomed in beneath her. Sun grinned again as he caught her this time, holding her in the same position she had held him in just minutes before. Despite the situation, she smiled at him.

"This is the part where you say it," he quipped.

The smile vanished with an annoyed groan before the serpent, now reconfined to the water, suddenly slammed into the rocks beneath their feet and unsteadied them. Blake leaped from Sun's arms and hopped to another outcropping, running from the dragon's pursuit with Sun close behind as the boy cried, "Okay, maybe later!"

The young Faunus friends fled the Grimm's fury, the beast following close behind them as its body shattered the rocks and it jaws snapped for a taste of their flesh. The captain watched this all through his telescope, and with a sudden idea, he upped the boat's throttle. Belowdecks, the engines suddenly kicked into overdrive as the boat sped after the Grimm, eventually coming up to race alongside it.

Sun shouted in fear as the dragon crashed through right behind him, jaws open to swallow him whole, before the black blur of Blake swooped in on her ribbon to sweep him away. They perched on a ledge as the dragon turned to them again, its mouth sizzling with the power that would obliterate them both, until it roared in pain again as the ship slammed into the beast's torso, the bow penetrating straight through the slimy body of the serpent.

The captain seized the opportunity and shouted to his crewmen, "_Fire!"_

Instantly, the heavy cannon fired at point blank range, the beast falling dead against the impaling bow as its head disintegrated from the powerful blast. The body fell limp, quickly beginning to dissolve into black smoke. Exhilaration swept across the bridge, the captain, his first mate, and all the crew as they let out a victorious cheer that was slowly joined by the passengers of the boat.

Sun pumped his fists in the air and bent over, slightly breathless, while Blake sighed in relief and closed her eyes with a smile. Sun looked up to her back and raised a hand. "Up top!"

Suddenly remembering him, Blake turned with anger in her eyes. Sun still smiled, wiggling his fingers to indicate the high five. "Eh?" His smile dissipated into shock as she let out an indignant cry and her hand quickly came across his face in a stinging slap.

* * *

A little while later, once the sun had set, the dragon had fully vanished, and the moon sat high in the sky, Blake once again found herself at the railing of the boat as Sun talked with a couple on the ship.

"Seriously, it was no big deal!" the boy was saying. "Just enjoy the rest of your trip and everything will be cool! We got this!"

The couple nodded gratefully and waved goodbye as they turned to walk back to their cabin. Sun walked over to the railing beside Blake as they went. "You'd think they'd never seen a fight before," he told her with an easygoing smile.

Blake was having none of it. "What are you doing here, Sun?"

He dodged the question. "Diggin' the new outfit, by the way!" He pointed to her cat ears, now vacant of their ribbon. "Never did like the bow."

Blake slapped his hand away, clearly not in the mood. "Sun!"

Sun jerked back as if she had slapped him in the face again. "Geez!"

"Have you been following me?!" Blake demanded, her ears flattening against her head in anger.

He looked at her for a moment, his usual confident face faltering as his eyes dodged to the side. He met her gaze again, almost sheepishly. "I saw you run off. The night Beacon Tower fell." Her glare softened a bit, her ears relaxing as he continued, "Once we landed in Vale, you made sure everyone was okay. And then you just took off, without saying anything."

She placed her hands onto the railing, leaning against it as she looked to the now calm water. "I had to. You wouldn't understand."

Her head turned as he replied, "No, I get it! The moment you left, I knew exactly what you were doing!" Her mouth upturned into a smile, almost happy. He understood.

His next sentence brought the smile crashing down. "You're going on a one-woman rampage against the White Fang!"

Instantly, Blake shrank back, her ears flattening again as she looked to him in disbelief. "What?"

Not noticing her change, Sun continued with vehement gestures, "You always felt like the Fang was your fight. They show up, trash _your _school, hurt _your _friends. It makes perfect sense!"

Blake shook her head at him. "I can't believe you."

Sun blustered onward, heedless. "But there's no way I'm letting you do this alone! It's an honorable approach, for sure, but you're going to need someone to watch your back. And that's where I come in!" He drew her close with an arm over her shoulder. "Us Faunus gotta stick together, after all."

Blake pushed him away and turned. "You're wrong, Sun. You're so, _so _wrong."

Confused, Sun looked after her. "What are you…?"

Blake wrapped her arms around herself, shrugging her shoulders with her back still turned to him. "I'm not going anywhere near the White Fang. Not yet."

Sun eyed her incredulously. "Seriously?"

"I need some time to sort things out."

He leaped at that. "Then why not do it with your team? Your friends?"

She whirled back on him. "You're one to talk!" she replied hotly. "Assuming Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!"

"You really think I could get Neptune on the ocean?" Sun replied as he heaved himself up to sit with his legs dangling over the railing. "They flew back to Mistral! I told them I'd catch up!" His memory travelled back to a year or so prior, when he'd first met her. "It's not the first time I left them to take a boat." He glanced at her. "So, if you're not going after the White Fang, where are you going?"

Blake looked out across the serene ocean, the words simultaneously a relief and a burden. "Home. To Menagerie."

After a moment, Sun crossed his arms with a grin. "Well, I'm coming with you." His smile shifted to a serious expression as he looked her in the eye and continued, "The Grimm are getting worse; you saw it yourself! And just because you're not going after the Fang doesn't mean they won't be coming for you!" He gestured to their surroundings. "Besides, I'm… kinda already on the boat."

Blake gazed down into the calm waters, a smile sneaking onto her lips despite her frustration. "There's really no stopping you," she said, a statement rather than a question.

"Nope!" he answered brightly, stretching out on the railing. "This is gonna be great! Never been to Menagerie before! It'll be a regular journey to the east!" Blake rolled her eyes at his apparent excitement as he continued, "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

* * *

**Salem's Fortress, Unknown Realm**

Emerald observed her mentor with a reserved mixture of discomfort and apprehension. Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian had departed recently, leaving herself, Cinder, Mercury, and Salem as the lone occupants of the crystalline fortress. As soon as the men had left, Salem had immediately begun Cinder's… therapy, summoning her every day to recover her strength and her voice. So far, neither had reemerged, and as such, Emerald stood by, readily available to convey Cinder's words to her mistress.

Currently, Cinder was breathing heavily, her shoulders trembling slightly as she let out small, hoarse grunts, while Salem held out one, bone white hand towards her wounded apprentice, performing some unseen act.

"Do you feel it?" the demonic being implored Cinder. "Don't fight it, girl." Salem's gaze narrowed as she leaned in towards her student. "It can sense your trepidation. You must make _it_… dread _you._"

Cinder slumped suddenly, breathing hard, as if she had just been released from an invisible grasp, when a new sound behind Emerald drew her attention. The green-haired thief turned with Mercury and gazed into the darkness beyond the open door, craning their eyes for whatever Salem had summoned as Cinder similarly turned to look.

A shiver of revulsion crawled across Emerald's skin as a new creature hovered out of the gloom into the deathly light of the meeting hall. The creature was undoubtedly a Grimm, but it was one unlike any Emerald had ever seen. Several red tendrils, almost like thin tentacles, trailed beneath the Grimm, the bony pointed ends swirling beneath a bulbous, spherical black body. The circular form of the Grimm seemed to glow from within with dull yellow light, light that appeared to regard the two horrified teens by the door as it floated past them on some unseen force towards the being that had summoned it.

The creature made an unsettling, audible clicking sound as it rounded the table and came to a stop beside Salem, while Cinder stared at it with trepidation. Salem leaned in towards the creature, seemingly gazing into something in the depths of its internal light, then turned and looked Cinder in the eye, folding her hands together.

"Cinder," Salem began, her tone making it clear that a wrong answer was not to be tolerated, "I am going to ask you this one more time, and I expect a clear answer." She cocked an eyebrow, almost daring Cinder to misstep. "Did you _kill _Ozpin?"

Hesitantly, Cinder turned towards the doorway, an arm extended towards Emerald. The girl began to move forward, but flinched as Salem's voice rose sharply in anger and she slammed her hands onto the table. "_No!_" Cinder turned back to her mistress and slowly lowered the arm as Emerald stepped back beside Mercury. Salem eyed her with deadly intent as she intoned with a voice that made Emerald stiffen, "I want to hear _you _say it."

Cinder held the glowing red gaze, her mouth slowly opening to let the air rasp from her lips. After a few, hoarse moments, the scarred Maiden managed to whisper out, "_Yes._"

Salem eyed her for a moment, then turned back to the hovering Grimm beside them. As if communicating with some other entity, the eldritch woman ordered to the yellow glow, "Reinforce our numbers at Beacon. The Relic _is _there."

Its purpose served, the creature floated away, hovering back across the floor and out into the blackness beyond the room. Emerald and Mercury again cowered away from it as it clicked past them, more from disgust than anything else. If Salem took note of their revulsion, she didn't mention it, instead turning away from Cinder to gaze thoughtfully at the smooth surface of the deep indigo tabletop. Her hand came to her chin as her eyes narrowed earnestly. "What are you planning?" she mused.


	49. Family

**Chapter Four: Family**

**Mistralian Countryside, Kingdom of Mistral**

Oscar Pine strode slowly into the barn with a self-satisfied smile, his chores for the day finished. Pitchfork held over his shoulder, the youth walked easily over the rough, hay-strewn wooden floor and laid the tool against several bales that were stacked against the wall.

Turning to make his way to the door, he glanced to the side, where he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror of a nearby sink. Suddenly, he halted, his eyes widening in confusion. He took a step back and peered into the glass, slowly approaching the reflective surface. The boy looked at himself, stared into his own hazel-speckled green eyes, and lifted a lock of black hair on his head, seemingly searching for some discernible abnormality.

As if searching for someone in his own face, Oscar tentatively said, "Hello?"

Silence.

The boy ducked his head, shaking away the odd feeling that had tugged him towards the mirror as nothing more than weariness from his chores.

Suddenly, a man's bright voice sounded from nowhere, making him cry out in surprise.

"_Hello!_ _I'm Professor Ozpin!_"

The frightened boy collapsed back onto a pile of hay, breathing hard for a moment from the surprise of the voice. His eyes scanned back and forth around the barn, confirming that he was alone. The thought did nothing to assuage his shortness of breath.

From the house, his aunt's voice carried through the air, spurred by his surprised cry. "Oscar, you be careful with those tools!"

* * *

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

At first, there was darkness.

Slowly, red light began to illuminate her field of view. The air was filled with a strange shimmering noise, images of broken tables and chairs flickering at the edges of her vision. In the background, fires burned brightly, casting ghastly shadows around the arena of broken furniture.

Dimly, she was aware that she had been here before as she glanced around at broken holes that fractured the walls. But the last time she had been here… she quickly looked down to her fists, a startled gasp escaping her as she realized that both of her arms were intact.

As she observed them, a movement ahead of her suddenly presented itself to her awareness. Quickly, her head came up, her eyes widening as she saw him walking forward, towards her. The red of his hair and his mask, the outlines on his black coat all seemed to glow with demonic light as he strode forward, his eyes hidden behind the slits of the bone-white mask.

Quickly, she raised her arms in defense, starting as she realized that Ember Celica had materialized on her wrists. Quickly shaking off her surprise, she launched her fire forward, the charges blasting through the air towards him like sparks. The rounds had no effect, whizzing right through his ethereal body while his hand dipped to his hip, to the hilt.

Her eyes widened further, now in dread, and she desperately thrust her hand forward again to attempt to hold him off. However, she gasped as she stared at her left wrist, the shotgun gauntlet suddenly absent from where it had lain a moment before. Terror coloring her expression, her head whipped around to the right arm, which once again terminated at the stump in a brief wrapping and a small metal knub.

With a gasp, she looked up. Before her, he smiled, his silent approach keeping his arrival secret until he was right in front of her. He grinned sadistically, and with the slow _shing _of metal, his hand lifted and began to unsheath the blood-red blade…

* * *

Yang awoke with a gasp, quickly sitting up in her bed as her heart slowed. The nervous sweat that dotted her brow felt cool on her scalp, and her heart tentatively slowed in her chest as she reassured herself that she was in the safety of her room. She glanced to the side of the table, where the General's gift rested, the metallic fingers of the cyborg arm gleaming in the moonlight.

The girl's ears perked at a light sound that carried up to her from downstairs: laughter. Her father, from the sound of it, along with two other, familiar voices. Slowly, she crept to her door and closed it quietly behind her, tiptoeing down the stairs to peer around the corner into the kitchen.

Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. Taiyang Xiao Long stood leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms behind him for support as he chuckled deeply. At the table sat two guests: a large, stocky man with a bushy white mustache and coppery coat and a thin man in a white shirt with green hair and glasses, both of whom joined her father in mirthful laughter. Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck.

Hidden around the corner as she was, the men didn't immediately notice Yang's presence, continuing with the story they'd been reliving. Port sounded breathless form laughter as he carried on, "And, and-and then, in comes _Qrow_, wearing a skirt! I was just a TA, I-I didn't know what to do, so I just… I just left the room to laugh!" Oobleck and Tai both erupted into fresh hysterics with Port.

"We told him it was a kilt!" her father picked up, a smile wide on his lips. "He'd never worn a uniform before, so he didn't know!"

Oobleck chortled. "That is _terrible! _What is wrong with you?!"

"Hey!" Tai retorted with an easygoing chuckle. "The girls all said he had nice legs! I did that jerk a favor! Besides, that's not even the best part! See, then we—"

Taiyang was abruptly cut off as Port hefted a leg onto the wooden table with a loud _thump. _An eyebrow cocked dramatically, the large professor joked, "Like what you see?"

The men all broke into fresh laughter at that, which became even more hearty after Port attempted to bring his leg down and lost his balance, toppling to the floor. Taiyang clapped his hands together, and Port still managed to laugh from his sprawled position. Quietly, Yang also giggled, covering her mouth as she observed the scene.

However, Port regained his footing and Oobleck quickly stood as they both noticed her in the doorway. "Oh, uh, Miss Xiao Long! Please, join us!" Port welcomed her.

Oobleck was still chuckling a bit, partially in embarrassment from their display, as he agreed, "Oh, yes, yes, pull up a chair. Please pull up a chair."

"I'm good," Yang replied with a smile as she walked around her former teachers and hoisted herself up to sit on the counter next to her father while the men sat back down. When everyone had quieted, the blonde asked, "so, what are you doing here?"

Oobleck, who had quite typically been drinking a cup of coffee, gestured towards her with the mug. "Despite popular belief, teachers do have a life outside the classroom."

Port chimed in, "Professor Goodwitch is working 'round the clock to restore Beacon to its former glory! But, Mistral wasn't built in a day. And we all need rest from time to time."

As if to recapture the mood, Taiyang chuckled slightly as he raised a hand. "Now look, let's not worry about that right now. So," he began as he resumed his story, "there we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow, wearing a _skirt. _Then Oz tells everyone, 'It's time to work on our landing strategy!'"

His fellow teachers gave a light chuckle. "The Branwen twins have always been… interesting," Oobleck put in," too say the least."

Port snickered. "That sure didn't seem to stop young Tai."

For the first time that evening, Taiyang frowned, motioning towards Yang. "Hey, come on, man, she's right here."

"Oh, please!" Port replied. "She's a mature young woman! If she can handle combat, she can handle a few jabs at her old man!"

"That's not the issue, Pete!" Tai protested. "And besides, she's still a teenager."

"'She,'" Yang put in, tired of being discussed, "is also in the room, and can be directly spoken to." She hopped off of the counter ledge as she continued, "And _I _think I've been through enough to be considered an adult at this point.

Her father sighed and gazed at the floor. "Adult or not, you've still got a long way to go before you're ready for the real world."

Yang rolled her eyes as she faced him head on. "Oh my gosh! Does _every _father figure have the _same three condescending phrases?_"

Tai's voice rose a bit in anger as he turned and retorted, "Yeah! But we only use them when we mean it!"

"Is that so?" At the table, Port and Oobleck uncomfortably spectated the argument, the doctor sipping his cup of coffee as his friend tugged at his collar.

"As a matter of fact, it is so!" Taiyang shot back. "And if you honestly think that you're ready to go out there on your own," he gave a short laugh, "well I guess you lost some brain cells along with that arm."

Yang gasped as she stepped back from Tai's smug grin. At the table, both teachers' eyes widened in shock, Port leaning forward in disbelief while Oobleck's glasses slipped down his face and his mug slipped from his hand. There was silence for a beat before Yang's face slowly morphed into a smile. "You _jerk!_" she cried as she playfully slugged him in the shoulder and they shared a moment of laughter together.

The teachers, having calmed, glanced at each other, before Oobleck broached in a whispering voice, "Are we finally talking about the Goliath in the room?"

Yang and her father met each other's eyes and burst out laughing again, with the two guests gradually joining in once it was clear the apparent tension had passed.

As the laughter wound down, Port addressed her. "Oh, Miss Xiao L— _Yang,_" he substituted, "if you don't mind me asking, why haven't you tried on the arm?"

Oobleck agreed. "Oh, yes, yes!" he said with his usual quick speech. "A piece of Atlas technology given out like that is rare indeed! Not to mention the effort it took to deliver it here. It seems a great many people want to see you returned to normal."

Yang took a moment before she hesitantly answered, "I'm… scared." Taiyang regarded her carefully as she continued, "Everyone keeps talking about me getting back to normal. And I appreciate it, but… this" she lifted her stump a bit and glanced at it, "_is _normal now." She paused. "It's just taking me a while to get used to it."

The professors exchanged a look.

"Well, normal is what you make of it."

Yang turned to her father, a legitimate edge now in her voice. "What's that supposed to mean? Do you want me to just pretend like nothing happened? I lost a _part _of me. A piece of me is gone… and it's never coming back."

Taiyang looked at the floor, her words seeming to have an impact on him. "You're right," he replied as he looked back up. "It's not coming back. But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming who you wanna be." He looked at her with sincere affection and enunciate each word with emphasis. "You're _Yang Xiao Long, _my sunny little dragon." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can do whatever you put your mind to. So whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there, I'll be there for you." He smiled at her.

Yang held his gaze for a long moment, at a loss. "I… I…"

Port filled the gap. "Fear is like any other emotion," he assured her, "it comes and goes. It's all in how you handle it. Why, even I find myself wrestling with that emotion from time to time."

"Really?" Yang asked bluntly, clearly unconvinced. "You?"

Oobleck leaned a tad closer to her, a hand to his mouth as he whispered sideways, "He's afraid of mice."

Overhearing his fellow teacher's admission, Port pounded a dramatic fist on the table as he bellowed, "They bring only disease and famine!" Yang giggled a little at that, which morphed into full laughter as the professor continued, "And don't even get me started on their tails! So hairless, it's simply unnatural!"

Oobleck calmed his friend, "Port, I assure you, you are safe. There's no mice here right now," which only added to Yang's humor

Watching from her side, Taiyang smiled fondly at the welcome laughter of his daughter that had been silent for far to long.

* * *

Once she had finally calmed, Yang took the stairs slowly, pausing at the top to call out, "Goodnight!" to the guests as she ascended back to her bedroom.

The door swung slowly open, the gleam of the mechanical arm catching her eyes the moment she walked in. Port and Oobleck's comments flashed through her head as she stared at it for a moment, but the sound of the front door closing and the murmur of voices outside drew her to the window, where she saw her father in front of the house seeing their guests off.

"Thanks for having us over, Tai," Port was saying as she leaned against the wall and spectated.

"Any time," her father replied. "You're always welcome."

"It may be a while before we return," Oobleck told him. "There is still much work to be done at the school."

"I hesitate to ask," Port said slowly, "but is there any word from young Miss Rose?"

Tai's head dipped almost imperceptibly. "Not yet."

"Have you thought of going after her?" Oobleck asked. "Trying to bring her home?"

As her father glanced over his shoulder up to her window, Yang ducked out of sight against the wall. The sigh was heard in his voice as he replied, "I've got to… look after some things."

Yang shifted her eyes down to her stump and unconsciously mover her left hand to squeeze her right arm, knowing he was referring to her. Suddenly, a fear seized her chest as she thought of Ruby out there on her own, scared out of her mind with the rest of her friends. She remembered her sister's last words to her, so long ago: _I love you. _She hadn't replied, coldly isolating herself from Ruby over the next few months, until Ruby had fled Patch with what was left of Team JNPR, heading to Haven with nothing but a note as her goodbye.

Something inside Yang abruptly steeled. The brawler glanced once more to the gleaming arm on the nightstand.

Ruby was out there, and she needed her big sister. Yang had always been there for her in the past, after Summer had died and their dad had disappeared into his work. Now, it was time to be there for her again.

* * *

**Near Higanbana Village, Kingdom of Mistral**

For her part, Ruby's journey had taken a turn for the better. After finding the destroyed village of Shion, Team RNJR had felt dejected and on edge, but the despair slowly rolled off their backs as the long road continued. Currently, they were walking through the woods on a dirt path, set to arrive at another village before nightfall.

"Come on, guys!" Ruby encouraged brightly. "If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset!"

"Assuming it's still there." Jaune still hadn't completely gotten over their discovery of the ruined village.

"Of course it'll be there," she replied, staring at it on the map. "This one's supposed to be pretty big." She went to work trying to pronounce the name. "Hee-gan… bay-na…"

"_Higanbana,_" supplied Ren. "It's a well protected village with a popular inn."

""Which means no camping in the rain!" Nora added chipperly.

"See?" Ruby told Jaune. "Everything's going to be fine!"

"You know," he replied, "we've had a lot of ups and downs. But things could be a lot worse. I really thought we'd see more Grimm."

"As did I," agreed Ren.

Nora brightly put in, "I guess our luck is finally turning around! To Higanbana!"

"To Higanbana!" Ren and Jaune followed, as Ruby still stumbled with the town name. "To Higanban… uh, ban-a!"

Above the four former students, a large, sinister Beowolf watched the travelling party from a cliff. With a growl, the creature opened its mouth to roar and crouched down to leap for them… only for a large broadsword with a clockwork gear to impale it through the torso.

As the beast fell dead and began to smoke, the wielder of the sword lifted the blade over his shoulder and watched the friends below as they walked. Behind him, three other disintegrating bodies slowly evaporated. To his side, the caw of a nearby bird drew his eye to a tree branch, where a raven stood perched. With another caw, the black bird took flight, flapping its wings as it soared through the air after the students, who were moving farther down the path.

Feathery black hair pushed back against his head, Qrow Branwen gave a scoffing chuckle as a distant rumble of thunder growled through the air. "Luck."

* * *

Rain ruled the night in the village of Higanbana, the wind rocking the small wooden sign of the inn back and forth with a gentle creak as droplets poured down. Thunder gave an occasional roar and a flash, muted inside the tavern.

From a lantern-lit wooden table, Qrow watched through the window as his niece and her friends checked into the inn across the street. Ruby spoke with the innkeeper, looking around to make sure everyone was behind her, and held up four fingers.

Abruptly, an arm placed a glass filled with orangish liquid on the table. Qrow looked up from the distraction into the light brown eyes of one of the tavern's waitresses. The woman wore a white apron in front of a red dress and held up a simple wooden platter before her. Qrow gestured towards the drink. "Oh, I didn't, uh…"

"From the woman upstairs," the waitress replied with a smile. "Red eyes. Said you wouldn't mind bottom shelf." She tilted her head, apparently looking up to the second floor.

Qrow craned his neck but was unable to spot anyone. "Thanks," he said, staring at the wooden surface before him.

"But… I went ahead and gave you top," the girl said with a wink. Her eyes narrowed as a flirtatious grin played on her lips. "Lucky you." With that, she walked away to her duties; Qrow watched her go with a smile. However, when the Huntsman looked back up through the window, Ruby and her friends had disappeared, apparently checked into a room for the night.

Qrow stared out the window for another moment, replaying the waitress's message in his mind. _Red eyes. Lucky me._ "Yeah," he murmured to himself. With that, Qrow stood, the small drink clutched in his hand, and strode quietly over to the stairs leading to the second floor.

Qrow's footsteps groaned on the staircase, mingling with the general din of the other patrons as he ascended to the second floor. The upper level was more dimly lit, with a few lanterns, a large furnace in the corner near the top of the stairs, and the general glow from the ground floor. Of the few tables strewn about, only the farthest was occupied.

The woman the waitress had been sent by looked to be an oriental warrior. Red and black robes swathed her body, while red armored gauntlets stretched down her forearms and ended in black, fingerless gloves. An assortment of crimson beaded necklaces adorned her neck, and a long, sheathed sword lay against the wall beside her. At the back of her head, a red fixture trailed down a long, cascading wave of feathers that mingled with her obsidian hair, giving her wildly flowing locks the appearance of a bird's tail. On the table before her, a white, ornately carved Grimm mask rested, the red highlights appearing blood-like around dark, sinister eye slits. Her glittering red eyes fixed on Qrow, pale skin glimmering in the dim light as her mouth formed a smirk.

"Hello, brother," the woman greeted.

Qrow held her gaze for a moment, then walked forward as he neutrally replied, "Raven."

Red, tattered cape following him, the Huntsman pulled out the chair opposite his sister and remained standing, nodding to the mask on the table. Raven Branwen eyed him with an annoyed sigh, rolling her eyes as she slid the mask back so Qrow could set his glass down and take his seat.

"So," he asked as he took his seat, "what do you want?"

Raven's smirk returned as she spread her hands wide. "A girl can't just catch up with her family?"

"She can, but you're not," Qrow replied. "Now how 'bout we get on with it?" He raised his glass and took a sip, letting the alcohol slide smoothly down his throat. Lowering the drink, he smirked back, gesturing to the glass. "Unless you plan on keeping these comin'."

The ice cubes clinked as he set the glass down, Raven watching him with sudden seriousness. "Does she have it?" his sister asked.

Qrow didn't reply immediately, tracing the outline of his glass with a finger as he stared into his sibling's eyes. "Did you know Yang lost her arm?" he finally asked.

Raven tensed, leaning forward. "That's not—"

"Rhetorical question," he cut her off, "I know you _know. _It's just obnoxious that you'd bring up family, then carry on like your own daughter doesn't exist." His voice dripped with contempt.

"I saved her," Raven protested darkly.

"Once," Qrow replied, holding up a finger, "because that was your rule, right? Real 'Mom of the Year' material, sis."

She grabbed his wrist tightly before he could retract it, fingers clenching in deadly seriousness as she glared at him. "I told you Beacon would fall, and it did. I told you Ozpin would fail, and he has!" Her gaze intensified as she implored dangerously, "Now you tell me… _does… Salem… have it?_"

"I thought you weren't interested in all that?" Qrow noted expectantly.

"I just want to know what we're up against."

Now he grinned. "And which 'we' are you referring to?"

With a growling grimace, Raven released his hand and sat back in her chair. Qrow sighed as he, too, relaxed, his hand travelling to the glass on the table. He stared at the murky liquid as he said, "You should come back, Raven. The only way we beat her is by working together." He met her eyes significantly. "_All _of us."

"You're the one who left," she retorted disdainfully. "The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them."

Qrow took another long swig from the glass, then stared at her again. "They were killers and thieves."

Raven's jaw was clenched as she replied in a forceful whisper, "They were your family!"

"You have a _very _skewed perception of that word."

Abruptly, Raven rose from her chair in swift indignation, the contempt clear on her face as she lifted a hand to her chest. "_I _lead our people, now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival."

"I saw." His voice darkened. "The people of Shion saw, too."

"The weak die, the strong live." Her gaze was firm and fierce as she glared at him. "Those are the rules."

With an edge of implication to his voice, Qrow replied, "Well, you've certainly got someone strong on your side. I've seen the damage."

Raven turned away from him, arms crossed. "We couldn't have known the Grimm would set in as quickly as they did."

She scowled, her head snapping back towards him as he said, "I'm not talking about the Grimm. And I'm not talking about _you_, either."

With a false grin that morphed to a frown as she spoke, Raven placed a hand upon her helmet. "If you don't know where the relic is, then we have nothing left to talk about."

Qrow's hand flashed out, much like hers had earlier, to grasp the helmet. "I don't know where the Spring Maiden is, either, and if you do, then I need you to tell me."

"And why would I do that?" she asked with a firm yank of her mask from his hands.

Qrow stared definitively at her. "Because without her, we're all going to die."

Out of the corner of her eye, Raven watched as one of the nearby lanterns flickered out. With a small, mirthless chuckle, the tribal woman replied, "And which 'we' are you referring to?" Without another word, Raven replaced her helmet on her head and retrieved her sword from the wall. Qrow glared at her back as she activated her Semblance, slicing a spinning crimson portal into existence before her that she disappeared into. The portal remained whirring after her for a moment, then winked away.

A gasp and a shattering noise behind him turned Qrow's attention around. Behind him was the waitress from earlier, staring with wide eyes at the spot where Raven had just disappeared, a broken glass and spilled drink at her feet the evidence of her shock. Her eyes glanced to Qrow in slight apprehension.

Voice heavy with weary frustration, Qrow lifted his glass and ordered, "Make this one a double."

* * *

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

Taiyang Xiao Long knelt before a wooden garden of sunflowers resting beneath the living room window, watering the flowers gently from a red can. To the side, the front door creaked open, and Tai set the can to the side with a knowing smile as he watched Yang emerge from the house.

His daughter squinted in the sunlight, lifting her metallic right arm to block out the brightness. As her eyes adjusted, she lowered the limb and observed it on her arm, flexing and testing the fingers and joints.

Taiyang stood to his feet as she turned towards him, her smile matching his own. "Okay," he said. "Let's get started."


	50. Menagerie

**Chapter Five: Menagerie**

**Kuo Kuana Docks, Menagerie**

The mighty horn of the passenger ship split the salty air, signalling all passengers that it was safe to disembark. On the docked side, offramps were lowered to touch the receiving dock, allowing everyone to walk off of the ship and step onto the subcontinent of Menagerie.

Blake gazed around with a twitch of her ear, nostalgia flooding her senses as she took in the island. She hadn't been here since she had run off to join the White Fang in Vale with Adam, and yet, everything still appeared just as she had left it. Same palm trees gently swaying in an ocean breeze; same busy marketplace selling a multitude of goods and trinkets; same cry of seagulls that circled the docks overhead. It seemed like almost yesterday.

Beside her, Sun looked around with wide eyes and a gaping smile, taking in all the sights and sounds and smells of Menagerie with enthusiasm. Like he had told her on the boat, this was his first time coming to Menagerie, and he certainly seemed to be amazed. "Huh," he murmured, still gawking.

Together, the pair of former students walked from the docks into the marketplace, which extended out from the wooden boardwalk into a nearby area in the middle of the town. Around them, Faunus of all types walked around, some on business, others looking to buy in the market, and even small children that ran with carefree laughter through the market as they played together. Like the kingdoms, Menagerie had its own distinct culture, and as such, the clothing style was somewhat different from Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, or Atlas. Here, everyone wore loose, open clothing that helped against a beating sun and let the breeze fan them cooly. The air felt relaxed and laid back, with none of the hustle and bustle of Vale they had experienced whenever they ventured into the kingdom's streets.

Sun was still in awe of the entire scene. "I've never seen so many Faunus in one place!" he remarked excitedly to her.

Blake nodded, staring over the crowd where the land dipped and left the boardwalk. "This is the one place everyone can feel safe, no matter who or what they are."

The friends navigated their way through the large gathering of Faunus with some difficulty, due to the heavy concentration of bodies.

"Wow, sure is, uh, crowded, huh?" the monkey-tailed boy said.

Blake's ears wilted a bit as she replied bluntly, "Yes, yes it is." That was one aspect that she had distinctly _not _missed about her home.

Sun groaned as he dodged a man carrying a box. "Is it always so… _cramped?"_

A tinge of resentment colored Blake's tone as she replied, "Well, when you try and take an entire species and put them on an island that's two-thirds desert, yeah, it tends to be cramped."

Sun looked at her in disbelief. "What?! You guys have that much more space? Why waste it? A little desert never hurt anyone." Having grown up in the dry half of Sannus where the kingdom of Vacuo was located, he had long ago adapted to the harsh environment of a desert.

His grin disappeared as she replied, "It's not like the desert in Vacuo, Sun. The wildlife here is more dangerous than most other regions."

Sun was beginning to pick up on her meaning. "So, they give us a terrible island, in the corner of Remnant, to try and shut us up."

"That's pretty much a good summary, yeah," Blake replied as she walked towards the exit of the marketplace into the main village.

"Huh," Sun muttered as he followed after her. "Jerks."

However, the boy fell silent as he joined her at road outside the market. The road at the front of the marketplace exit peaked in a small hill that dipped down into a tropical village. On either side of the road, there were more palm trees, as well as small houses with canvas or wooden roofs. In the background, behind the village, the fertile land began to melt into desert, a line of palm trees being the border between green land and golden sand. In the middle of the village stood a large house at the end of the long road, far larger and finer than any of the houses to the side. Not quite a mansion, the building appeared to be constructed of dark wood that created a fine contrast with light mortar and an elaborate, pagoda-esque roof.

Sun let out a breathy, awed, "_Whoa…"_

"This," Blake said, "is Kuo Kuana."

If Sun had been amazed in the marketplace, he was captivated by Kuo Kuana. "It's… beautiful." He turned to her with a broad smile. "I take it all back. This place is great! Why would anyone ever want to leave?"

Though she knew he hadn't been jabbing at her, Blake felt a slight spike of indignation shoot through her as she replied, "That's not the point, Sun!" She turned back to the village before them. "We asked to be equal, to be treated just like everyone else! Instead, we were given an island and told to make due." She stared down at the Faunus milling about Kuo Kuana. "So we did the best we could. We came together and we made a home where any Faunus could feel welcome. But this island, this town, will always be a reminder that we're still not equal." Her face fell slightly as she quietly added, "That we're still second-class citizens."

Sun's hand on her shoulder lifted her head. "Well, hey," he said, "this guy's feeling pretty at home."

Blake let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Alright. Time to go home."

"Oh, yeah?" Sun asked. He pulled her to him with an arm around her back. "Which one's yours? Can you see it from here?" He shaded his eyes with a hand as he peered at the different houses.

"Kind of."

"Is it that one?" he asked, pointing to a small one on the side. His arm shot across her body as he pointed to the other side and exclaimed, "What about that tiny one down there? I like the paint job."

Slowly, Blake took his arm at the wrist and shifted his pointing aim. "It's… that one."

Sun blinked at the central manor towards which he was now pointing. His head whipped towards her along with his finger in an unspoken question, which she confirmed with a nod. The Faunus boy stepped back a pace and put his hands to his head, his eyes huge as he stared at the house and an overwhelmed noised escaped his lips.

* * *

After Sun had gotten over his initial shock, he and Blake made their way down the dirt road and walked up the stone steps to Blake's huge manor. Slowly, Blake approached the door, but her hand froze as she reached for the door knocker.

"What is it?" asked Sun.

Her ears, curled by nervousness, twitched at his words. "I, um… it's just been a long time since I've seen my parents."

"Well, you came all this way," he encouraged her. She nodded slightly and took in a breath. Before she could decide otherwise, her hand grasped the metal knocker and banged it against the wood. The sound reverberated along the door loudly as Blake stepped back from the door.

Sun stared at the metal knocker, pointing. "Okay, if we're being honest, that's kind of intimidating."

Before Blake could reply, a loud click of the latch drew both friends' attention. Blake felt her heart jump in her chest as the door cracked and a Faunus woman peeked around the door. Upon seeing Blake, the woman opened the door further and stepped outside to get a better look, large cat ears perking up in recognition. Beneath her black shrug dress, a white tunic was visible, and her right arm was covered in a long, connected sleeve. A shorter sleeve stretched from wrist to elbow on her left arm, with two gold bracelets on her wrists and a purple bandana on her upper arm. Gold trimming lined the edges of the black shrug, and a few gold piercings were visible in her cat ears, larger than Blake's.

Almost in disbelief, the woman stared with golden eyes and said, "_Blake?"_

Sheepishly, Blake lifted a hand in greeting. "Hi, mom."

Without a moment of hesitation, Kali Belladonna stepped forward and wrapped her daughter in a gentle, loving hug. Blake stiffened in surprise for a moment as her mother enveloped her in her arms. "My baby girl," Kali murmured with relief. Slowly, Blake smiled and stretched her arms around her mother, hugging back.

From within the house, the sound of footsteps drawing near were accompanied by a man's voice as he called, "Kali, who is it?"

As Kali stepped to the side, Blake gazed into the house and watched as her father appeared in the hallway, hands on his hips as he awaited his guest. However, at the sight of her, Ghira Belladonna's posture completely loosened, a stunned look of shock crossing his face. It was almost comical see such an expression on his towering frame. Ghira was extraordinarily tall, towering over Sun, and wore a dark purple robe with white fur trimming that fell down to his shins. The front of the coat remained open, revealing dark fur on his chest, which also covered his exposed forearms. A decorative metal spaulder gleamed silver at his left shoulder, attached to the coat by a pair of metal strips and a clasp that went across his chest.

Ghira's eyes, golden like Kali's, softened, his thick, full beard pulling up at the edges around his smooth mouth as he smiled, the shock giving way to the same love and relief on Kali's face.

Sun, who had been silently observing, grinned at Blake, still protectively held around the shoulder by her mother. Blake was shyly smiling back at her father, thankful for his happiness. Her small cat ears perked up as she meet Sun's gaze form the side with the warm smile.

Quickly, the parents escorted in their unexpected guests and set up a small arrangement of cups with a kettle of tea at a square table in the living room. Once Sun had been introduced and the pleasantries had been set aside, the Belladonnas began to question the pair about their time in Vale, as well as the Fall of Beacon.

Kali gently set her cup down on the table, face concerned at what Blake and Sun had revealed. "We were horrified when we heard the news. The Kingdom of Vale isn't perfect, but it certainly didn't deserve what happened. Oh," she sighed, "we were both so worried."

Ghira smiled and cocked an eyebrow at his wife. "Please, I knew she'd be fine!"

At that, Kali turned and scoffed at him. "That isn't the slightest bit true." To Blake, she said, "You should have seen him pacing."

Sun's voice was warm as he smirked. "You guys have nothing to worry about. I've seen your daughter in action before! And trust me, she's got some moves!"

There was a long moment of awkward silence in which Blake stiffened. Everyone at the table stared at Sun as they processed his unfortunate choice of words, Ghira looking particularly peeved.

Glaring, the father Belladonna asked in a low, threatening voice, "And what exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Wukong?"

Realizing his mistake, Sun's grin froze on his face as he slowly turned to face Ghira. Squeakily, the monkey-tailed boy began to attempt a recover, stumbling over his words, as Kali and Blake both watched from the side. Kali leaned over towards her daughter and quietly asked with a hint of amusement, "Why is he here again?"

Blake bowed her head in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. "He just kind of followed me home."

Kali tuned back into Sun's rambling for a moment, then slowly said, "I see."

"...slightly. I mean she's definitely above average," Sun was saying, before he winced again at the hole he was digging for himself. "I mean, uh…" The boy trailed off, glancing around at the expressions at the table, ranging from exasperation and anger from Blake and Ghira to wry surprise from Kali. Deciding there was no good way out of his current predicament, Sun slowly wound his tail around the handle of the tea kettle before him and poured himself some more, desperate to change the subject as he said, "This tea is really good." He took a sip and gave a sheepish chuckle.

Kali was slightly smirking herself as she leaned over to her daughter and murmured, "I like him."

"Mom!" Blake protested with hushed consternation.

Before anything else could be said, a loud hollow clang carried through the room, bringing everyone's attention to the hallway where Blake and Sun had entered not long before through the front door.

"Darn it, I completely forgot about the meeting!" Ghira exclaimed in frustration, quietly hitting the table with his fist.

Kali placed a hand on his. "Ghira…" The large Faunus man stood.

"Give me a moment," Ghira replied grudgingly as he stood from the table and walked out of the room. Kali looked down at the table for a moment, her attention grabbed by its scarred surface.

Noticing her mother's expression, Blake asked, "Is everything okay?"

Kali perked up and smiled reassuringly at her daughter. "Yes, dear, just poor timing. He can reschedule. It's just been hard dealing with them lately." She took a sip from her cup of tea.

"Dealing with who?" Blake asked.

"Mmm?" Kali murmured as she sipped her tea. After swallowing, she replied, "The White Fang."

Sun and Blake were on their feet in an instant, faces mirroring each other in shock as they unanimously cried, "_WHAT?!"_

Quickly, the two friends rushed out of the room into the hallway, hurrying towards the open door, where Ghira seemed to be speaking with two men. "Dad!" Blake cried out as she approached.

Ghira turned, confused by her concern. "Blake, what's wrong?" As he stepped aside, he revealed his two visitors, a pair of nearly identical Faunus brothers. Both wore the same outfit: billowing white pants that ended just above a pair of leather sandals, a black tunic with white trimming, and a red hood that trailed down over their shoulders as a small cloak. Their postures were similar as well, each with their hands respectfully clasped before them as if in prayer, their dark-skinned faces both polite. In fact, the only discernible difference in the duo's appearance was their separate Faunus traits, the one on the left displaying a fox tail that was visible behind his legs, while the other's hood opened up in two places at the top to allow a pair of fox ears to protrude through.

Upon her arrival, the men both bowed to her. "Miss Belladonna," the one on the left politely greeted in a deep voice.

"We had no idea you'd returned," his brother seconded. Both of them seemed to accompany their speech with small gesticulations before reclasping their hands before themselves.

Blake would have none of it. Disgust evident on her face, she turned to her father. "What are you doing talking to these people?"

Gesturing politely in return to the brothers, Ghira introduced, "This is Corsac and Fennec Albain. They represent the White Fang here in Menagerie now."

"Those psychos are here, too?!" Sun cried beside Blake.

"Young man," the eared brother, Fennec, replied, "I'm not sure what you've heard of our organization, but I can assure you, we're not nearly as ferocious as the media would have you believe."

"What we've heard?" Blake demanded, her tone bordering on outrage as bitter memories of the Fall of Beacon sprang to mind. "We've seen firsthand. Your fanatics slaughtered people!"

At that, Ghira's face hardened, and he turned a deadly gaze upon the two Faunus brothers. In a voice that made it evident he would tolerate no digression, the Chieftain of Menagerie asked, "What is she talking about."

If Corsac or Fennec were intimidated by the leader's deep timbre, they didn't show it. Corsac's voice remained respectful and firm as he replied slowly, "Precisely what we came to discuss with you, Your Grace."

From behind Blake, whose ears were curled in distaste, the sound of footsteps heralded Kali's approach. "Is everything alright?" her mother asked, concerned.

Sun's eyes widened in incredulous realization. "Wait, you guys seriously don't know?"

His voice growing more dangerous by the second, Ghira turned to his daughter and Sun and repeated, "Know _what_?"

Blake looked down, away from Corsac and Fennec's impassive gaze. "The White Fang was at the Fall of Beacon. They attacked innocent civilians and they released Grimm into the school."

During the heartbeat of silence that followed, Corsac and Fennec's eyes darted towards each other briefly, before resuming their stare at the young Huntress. At Blake's words, Ghira's eyes smoldered angrily. "Is this true?" he demanded quietly.

Eyes closed in picture of grief, Fennec softly replied, "Sadly, Your Grace, it is."

"Don't act like you're s—"

"That's enough!" Blake looked up in surprise as her father thrust out a hand and abruptly cut off her retort. However, based on his expression, which was bordering on reserved rage, Ghira was becoming less patient every moment. "Explain yourselves," he directed, the command simple yet terrifying.

However, the Albain brother's still held their infuriating mask of calm. Corsac began, "Though it pains us to admit, it has become apparent that the Vale branch of the White Fang is no longer operating under orders of High Leader Khan." At his side, Fennec silently nodded in agreement. "Rather, they've elected to follow the rule of one Adam Taurus." The man shook his head slightly. "I believe you're all familiar with the young adept and his…" Corsac paused with a slight wince, "_extreme_… philosophies."

Sun looked as skeptical as Blake. "You know, Beacon wasn't the first time the Fang started shooting up Vale!"

Fennec replied, "The High Council had their suspicions of a splinter group, but they could prove nothing until this latest incident."

"_Incident?_" Blake glared at the men. "People are dead!"

"And it _is _a tragedy," Corsac placated.

Eagerly, Fennec joined in, "Your Grace, we came to assure you that Brother Taurus and his followers _do not _represent the will of the White Fang."

Suspicion still evident on his face, Ghira stared intensely at the representatives. "And how can I be sure of that?"

"We understand if you bear any skepticism towards these claims," Corsac reassured. "The White Fang's tactics are, admittedly, more aggressive since you stepped down as High Leader and became Chieftain of Menagerie." He shook his head slightly. "But this, this is no way to make our message heard."

Supportively, Fennec continued, "We have ample documentation from the council meeting, as well as several strategies to apprehend and punish these strays if you care to review them."

Reluctantly subsiding, Ghira replied, "I will… but another day." He turned back towards his family and Sun. "I'd like some time to reconnect with my daughter."

"But of course, Your Grace," Corsac said with a respectful bow.

"We completely understand," Fennec said as he also bowed. Looking past Ghira, he gave a polite smile towards the Huntress. "It was a pleasure to see you again, young Blake."

"We were saddened when we heard of your departure from the White Fang, but understand if you can no longer support our cause," Corsac said.

"It is a wearying fight, after all," Fennec added."

With defiance in her face and her tone, Blake replied firmly, "Who says I'm done fighting?"

The Faunus brothers regarded her, Corsac making a quiet _hmm _before he said, "If you ever do wish to return, you need merely come find us."

"Sister Ilia would be elated," Fennec agreed

Definitively, Ghira stepped back inside his house, and with a pointed, "Goodbye, gentlemen," the Chieftain heavily closed both of the wooden doors in their faces. Kali turned to regard her husband in slight concern as Blake scowled and stalked away, her white coat flowing gently behind her.

"So… those guys were creepy," Sun commented.

Ghira's gaze narrowed in annoyance as he turned towards Sun. "I really don't like you," the father said bluntly.

Outside of the Belladonna Manor, the Albain brothers descended the stone steps in perfect harmony, each with their hand clasped and Corsac's tail swaying slightly with each stride.

"An interesting development, wouldn't you say?" Fennec mused to his brother.

"Interesting indeed," Corsac replied.

"So… shall we inform Brother Adam?" Fennec asked with a sinister grin.

Corsac returned the smile as he replied in his deep, quiet voice, "Oh, we shall."

* * *

**Higanbana Village, Kingdom of Mistral**

In Anima, in the small Mistralian village of Higanbana's tavern, the young waitress rested on her knees scrubbing the floor. After what she had seen the night before between the woman in red and Huntsman upstairs, she was feeling a bit unsettled and tried to keep her mind on her task to prevent the feeling from growing.

"Excuse me," a voice above her said, prompting her to look up. A thin man in a brown overcoat stood before her, his white undercoat open at his chest to reveal a group of jagged, haphazard scars that ran across his torso.

Yellow eyes glittering in the dim light of the tavern, Tyrian Callows licked his lips with a malicious bout of chuckling and giggling as he continued, "I was hoping you could… help me find someone."


	51. Tipping Point

**Chapter Six: Tipping Point**

**Near Former Settlement Oniyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

Nora's smile welcomed the day as she stretched her arms above her head and Team RNJR walked down the forest path. "Another day, another adventure!" she chirped brightly.

By her side, Ren had donned the bag of supplies today, while Ruby walked beside Jaune to peek at the map in his hands.

"What's on the agenda today?" the reaper asked.

"Walking!" Jaune responded.

"With a side of…?" Nora began.

Ren flatly replied, "Walking."

Beside Jaune, Ruby gave a small sigh. "Haven is a lot farther away than I thought."

Ren looked at her curiously. "Ruby? How long did you think this journey was going to take?"

"I don't know!" she replied, throwing her arms up in frustration. "I grew up in a small area; I've never been this far away from home!"

"Right but… how long?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe like, uh…" Ruby paused. While they had been on their journey for the past half year since the Fall of Beacon, they had only gotten on the continent of Anima about two months prior, and her ambitions then had been much higher than they were now. Sheepishly, she looked at Jaune. "Two weeks?"

"What?" he cried, looking up at her in disbelief.

"Okay, fine! Three or something!" Ruby looked away from his condescending gaze to stare at the trail. Like any long trip, the journey was wearing on them, the first trickles of annoyance with one another beginning to seep in. "Look, whatever," Ruby muttered, before her gaze shifted and she noticed something ahead on the path. Something abnormal. "Hey, what's that?"

Slightly ahead of them, Nora hopped up onto the ruined post of a fence and cupped her hands to her head, taking in the sight of a village ahead and trying to peer over its walls. Jaune regarded the map in confusion. "That's… strange. I didn't think we'd be hitting another village for a few days."

Nora's face took on a look of dread. "Are those buildings… damaged?"

Finding the decimated village of Shione had left too black of a mark on the team to not understand the impact of her words. Instantly, Jaune's voice became commanding as he quickly said, "We should search for survivors!" He cast the map to the side and sprinted forward, the rest of his friends close on his heels as the paper lazily drifted to the ground behind them.

However, upon entering the village, the team's worry quickly morphed into fresh confusion. While the buildings did appear to be damaged, a great number of them were skeletons of wooden planks and cornerstones, others half-constructed, as if the builders had abandoned their duty. The silence was eerily deafening, the only speech coming from the whispers of the breeze through the buildings. The village was a ghost town, not a soul to be seen.

Nora, channeling some of her strength, had leaped high over the wall onto the top of a tall building to see if the rest of the village were somehow different. However, upon taking in the remaining area within the walls, she concluded that they were alone. Ruby was sifting through a bit of debris at the base of the tall tower. The leader dropped the plank she had lifted back to the ground after finding no one and called up to her friend, "Anything?"

"Nothing over here!" came Nora's reply from above as she hopped down to join her friends.

"No one over here, either!" Jaune called.

Ren was standing slightly ahead of them, kneeling to inspect something on the ground. "It almost seems like… the town was abandoned," he said half to himself. There was an odd quality about this town that made him uncomfortable, as if he had been here before. The remnant of JNPR moved deeper into the town as Ruby warily scanned the area at the base of the tower, the breeze making her hair shift.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Nora cried to her, prompting the reaper to hurry over to her friends, who had gathered around a sign covered in leafy moss. Nora shifted the leaves out of the way to reveal the word inscribed on the sign. "_Oniyuri_. Never heard of it."

"Me neither," Jaune said.

"I have."

Ruby, Jaune, and Nora all looked to Ren in surprise. The Huntsman had had a strange feeling of recognition the moment he had entered the town, and upon reading the sign, he had finally been able to place it. His face took on a slightly downcast expression as he began to explain.

"You might think of it as Anima's Mountain Glenn, had it never been completed." He gazed around at the ruined structures and peeling paint. "Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run. Frustrated with the council, they pooled their resources together to build their own city… with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future." Slowly, Ren walked away from the group and came to a stop in front of a short stone wall. His next words were quieter. "I know my parents did."

Thrown off by the mention of his parents, whom Ren had never discussed openly, Ruby was slow to ask, "What happened?"

Ren brushed off a layer of dust that had settled on the stone, revealing a long

streak of jagged claw marks deep in the rock. "What always happens."

Jaune quietly spoke what they were all thinking. "The Grimm."

Ren turned slightly, his hands visibly tightening into fists. "Not just any one."

Ruby stared at him for a moment, confused by his wording. She glanced at Nora, but the normally vibrant redhead was looking at Ren in concern. "One?" Ruby repeated.

Before Ren could reply, a cacophony of distant squawking met their ears. As one, Team RNJR turned and watched as a small flock of birds took flight from the trees back towards the entrance of the village, disturbed by some unknown entity. The teens watched as the birds flew overhead, Jaune repressing a chilled shudder as he said, "Come on. Let's just get through here. This place gives me the creeps."

With that, he walked past the sign reading _Oniyuri _and moved on, followed by Nora. Ruby lingered a moment longer, watching as Ren took a moment before he started after them, head seemingly bowed in thought but face hidden behind his long, black hair. She took a moment more to let her gaze run over the ruined city, then turned and followed her friends as a gust of wind blew a few leaves past her hair.

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

On the other side of Remnant, a concert was underway.

Scores of people, the rich socialites and businessmen of Atlas, had settled into their seats in the Schnee Manor auditorium hall, and now, all were enraptured by the long, melodious aria of Weiss Schnee, who stood alone on the stage as her voice carried through the air.

Weiss modulated her voice as she stared up into the night sky, watching the moon's glowing fractals slowly twist in the sky. If her father had intended for her singing at the charity ball to be a crowd-drawing spectacle, then he had certainly made the right choice. Of course, this wasn't the first time he had done so. As the note changed and reverberated beautifully around the theater, Weiss' thoughts drifted back to little more than a year prior when she had stood in exactly the spot she found herself now, lifting her voice in a similar bid to draw eager contributors and investors to her father's fundraisers. The famed singing of the daughter of Remnant's wealthiest businessman was praised across the world and always attracted the biggest spenders.

However, tonight was different from the last time she had sung. The things she had gone through in the past year and a half had changed her, the fires of Beacon melting her cold exterior in the real world while simultaneously forging her into something stronger than she had ever believed she could be. Before, she had had so many questions about who she truly was, had wondered if her father defined her life. Now, everything had changed. Beacon had taught her that she could make it on her own, that Jacques Schnee did _not _control everything in her world. And to prove it, she had chosen her song tonight specifically for him.

Breathing in deeply, Weiss began to sing.

"_I'm not your pet, not another thing you own,_

"_I was not born guilty of your crimes._

"_Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore._

"_I won't be possessed, burdened by your royal test,_

"_I will not surrender, this life… is… mine!_"

As she concluded, the audience immediately broke into thundering applause, many of the guests staring in awe at her performance. Weiss smiled cordially, looking up to the balcony, where her brother and father were watching. Jacques had his fingers laced in their typical position, seemingly unfazed by her performance, while Whitley stood at his side, sneering down at her as he gave a slow clap.

Weiss turned her attention again to the audience, letting the applause roll over her like a wave crashing into shore, before she turned and began to walk backstage, a frown erasing the faux smile she had worn the minute the crowd was to her back.

* * *

Later, at the afterparty, Weiss stood at her father's side, distantly aware of the business conversation he was having with a small group of people as she stared at the floor with her hands behind her back, wishing with all her might that she could sink into the blue tile and disappear.

On Jacques' other side stood Whitley, who also had his hands clasped behind him, but in contrast to his sister, he stood at rapt attention, absorbing every detail he could of the conversation.

"That's precisely my point," Jacques was saying to the man beside him, a thin man in a gray suit and glasses. "We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate."

Weiss made a small sound of disgust as the other man replied, "Well, I think the bigger issue here is our society as a whole."

"What?" Jacques snorted. "You mean Atlas?"

Weiss gazed over to the far wall of the ballroom, staring intently at a large picture of Beacon Academy on a nice day, with the CCT Tower standing tall behind it.

"Atlas, Mantle… you can't deny the economic disparity between the two."

The woman joined the conversation, saying, "I mean, what exactly are you suggesting?"

As the man began to answer her, Weiss started to take a step towards the painting, but was stopped as her father caught the movement without turning towards her and his hand snaked out to grab her arm. Not even fully facing her, Jacques murmured quietly, "Where are you going?"

Plaintively, Weiss replied, "I'm… just a little thirsty."

Jacques raised a hand to summon one of the waiters that were walking around the ballroom and servicing the guests. "Sweetheart, we have people for that."

Weiss quickly pulled his arm back down as Whitley watched from the corner of his eye. "What? No, I can get it," she said. "I'll be right back, I promise."

After a mental debate, his eyes never leaving hers, Jacques seemed to decide that it was no big deal, turning back to the conversation with his associates without so much as a word of approval to his daughter's request. "I'm sorry," he said, "I tuned out for a second, but it sounds like I'm the good guy again?"

Jacques and the couple easily laughed as Weiss let out a small breath in relief and walked through the crowd to the velvet rope separating the people from the painting of Beacon. Weiss stopped before the massive portrait, taking in the familiar majesty of her old school, before a voice beside her stirred her from her thoughts.

"It's beautiful," a boy her age dressed in red and black, with his gray hair styled to one side, said. He smiled slightly as he continued, "You two match."

Weiss didn't reply immediately, not meeting his eyes as she stared at Beacon. "Yes," she eventually responded, "it's a lovely painting."

With a sheepish smile, the boy said, "So, that was my attempt at breaking the ice… How am I doing so far?"

The heiress sighed. "You are leaving a lot to be desired."

He shrugged, the smile still on his face, as he turned towards her fully. "Well, I've always appreciated honesty." He offered a hand to her. "Henry. Marigold."

For the first time, Weiss turned from the painting, her eyes managing to convey both coldness and cordiality as she scanned the boy, noticing two rings on the fingers of his extended hand. After a moment, she brushed the tips of her own fingers on his in detached greeting, introducing herself, "Weiss Schnee."

Pleased at his success, Henry's smile widened in admiration. "I know, I saw your performance." He winced at his words. "Obviously," he chastised himself. After a moment clearing his throat, he continued, "You were wonderful. And I promise I'm not just saying that 'cause you're pretty."

Weiss turned back to the painting, already annoyed at the party and becoming more so by the second. However, the boy didn't give up, leaning against the velvet rope as he went on, "Honesty, remember?" He regarded the painting of Beacon. "So, you thinking about buying it?"

Weiss' gaze narrowed slightly as he began rattling the railing with a small _clink. _"No, I don't think so," she replied.

"Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting," Henry agreed.

Slightly indignant, she retorted, "It's to raise money."

"Oh, really? For what?"

At that, she turned to him, eyes wide in disdain as her mouth curved downwards. "For _what_?" she demanded, unable to believe that he didn't even know what the fundraiser was for.

Henry chuckled. "I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and the drinks." He accentuated his statement by reaching out to grab a small glass of champagne from the dish of a passing waiter. He extended the glass towards her with a smile. "And the extraordinary company, of course."

Henry paused to take a sip of the champagne, Weiss turning to fully face him as he did. "So, what," he went on, not noticing her new stance, "is it another Mantle fundraiser or something?"

"_Get. Out_."

A bit startled by the low, icy tone that had escaped her, Henry gave a small chuckle. "What?"

Weiss, however, was peeved, instantly clarifying, "Get out, or I will have security _escort _you out."

Now a bit confused, Henry's brow furrowed as he began, "But I haven't done any–"

"Leave!" Weiss demanded. After everything that had happened, all that she had witnessed firsthand at the Fall of Beacon, she would not tolerate the ignorance of this spoiled courter.

Seeming to understand from her threatening poise that she meant what she said, Henry stared at her a moment longer before he made a small scoffing noise and said, "Whatever," downing the rest of his drink as he walked away towards the exit. Weiss followed him with her eyes until he disappeared from the room, then turned back to the painting, crossing her arms over her chest and closing her eyes.

In the background, a party guest was angrily shouting at a waiter for mixing up a drink, but Weiss drowned out the noise as she opened her eyes and stared at the plaque beneath the painting. It read, "SHOW THE WORLD WE CARE. All proceeds go to the Kingdom of Vale."

She shut her eyes again, listening as the senseless din of the party swelled in her ears. All of these people here, the businessmen and millionaires… did any of them even understand what the fundraiser was for? Was the entire crowd just a field of Marigolds, simply here to enjoy the food and proudly say that they had attended a party at the Schnee Manor? Was there anyone who actually cared besides herself?

Suddenly, Weiss' eyes snapped back open as a new voice cut through the cacophony of noise. A woman was saying, "But really, does it come as any surprise what happened to Vale?"

Quickly, the heiress turned and looked over her shoulder in disbelief. Several feet away, within the crowd, the woman who had spoken looked to her husband with a patronizing smile on her face as she continued, "It was a long time coming, if you ask me."

"Honey," the man said with an uneasy smile, uncomfortable at her words in such a public place.

The wife brushed him off with a giggling, "What? You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance." The husband's head fell in frustration as he sighed silently and let the act drop at his wife's words.

It was interesting how often people likened her to cold, Klein as his Snowflake or her friends as the Ice Queen, because in that moment, Weiss had never felt rage boil so hotly within her. Throwing aside all the years of proper etiquette and party manners her father had instilled inside her, Weiss shouted at the woman, "_Shut up!_"

At once, the noise of the party stopped, conversations dying as the light piano music that had been playing ceased along with them, leaving everyone to stare at Weiss as she glared at the couple.

Including Jacques. Clearly startled and unsettled by her outburst, Jacques tentatively said, "Weiss?"

If anything, her father's hesitation encouraged her, and Weiss went on, voice still loud and laced with anger as she gestured to the gathering. "You don't have a clue! _None _of you do!"

Offended at being talked to in such a manner, the wife that had spoken managed an outraged, "Excuse me?!" before Weiss cut her off and continued. Everything: the Battle of Beacon, the Fall, returning home and being secluded in her room these past months, all of her inner turmoil flowed out of her like lava as she cried, "You're all just standing around talking about _nothing! _Worrying about your hair, your money, your stupid problems that don't mean _anything!_"

Unnoticed, Whitley lips played a faint smile as Jacques hurried over to his daughter in an effort to prevent further damage. "Weiss, that's enough!" he hissed as he grabbed her arm. She pulled away from him. All of her doubt, her shame, all of it stemmed from his grip on her life, and she wouldn't stand it for another second.

"Let go of me!" Weiss spat at her father.

"You're embarrassing the family!" Jacques said with contained rage of his own burning beneath his bright blue eyes, but Weiss matched his stare with her own as she repeated, "I said, let go!"

With a hard yank, Weiss pulled free from Jacques' tight hand, falling to the floor from her momentum. However, all of the stress of the night and her sudden anger ignited in the moment she fell to the floor as a bright blue glyph suddenly materialized by her side. Weiss' eyes widened, as did those of several close bystanders, as she recognized the spinning Summoning glyph and a shape began to manifest from its white energy.

Snorting, a Summoned Boarbatusk suddenly glowed to life, stomping its foot as it roared. While Weiss was not in control of her Semblance at the moment, the entity was still bound to her will, and due to her hectic state, it heeded none of her restraint as it located the source of her distress and raced forward towards the couple, who were now terrified.

Someone in the background screamed as the woman began desperately pleading, "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just leave me alone!" The Summon paid no heed to her cries as it leaped into the air, jaws spread wide to attack, before it was flung to the side by a gunshot that shattered the air. Upon landing, the Boarbatusk, already fragilely held together by Weiss' Semblance, dissolved back into white mist, evaporating where it fell.

Grimly surveying the situation, General James Ironwood waited until the beast had fully disappeared before finally lowering his pistol. The woman, furious now that her life was no longer in peril, pointed at Weiss and shouted, "Arrest her!"

The General followed her pointing finger to the girl on the ground, who was currently stunned by what had happened and was slow to rise. Ironwood looked back to the woman, who cried at him, "What are you waiting for? She's insane, she should be locked up!"

With a pointed stare at the woman, Ironwood cooly replied, "She's the only one making sense around here." Turning, the General gave a slight nod to his host and said bluntly, "Thanks for the party, Jacques," before turning for the door, the pistol still in his hand.

Now that the crisis had been averted, Weiss' eyes rose from the floor to uncertainly meet her father's gaze. As the crowd began to alternately erupt into whispers, watch Ironwood's exit, or stare at her, Jacques Schnee met his daughter's gaze with a glare that spoke more eloquently than any words, a gaze of pure malice and rage at her insolence.

* * *

**Former Settlement Oniyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

Ruby, Ren, Nora, and Jaune had made their way deeper into the village, moving towards the exit on the other side to continue down the path to Mistral. Ren was leading the way, and everyone was quiet, the somber nature of the town strangling any conversation they might have.

Suddenly, Ren stopped before the others, holding his hand up for them to halt. The other three were immediately on alert, looking to Ren for an explanation as to what he was sensing.

Before moving to Vale and joining Beacon, Ren had lived on his own in the Mistralian countryside with Nora, and as a result, he had grown hyper attuned to his surroundings, noticing small details that would normally be missed. Right now, something didn't feel right. Ren felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, knowing the feeling; they were being watched from somewhere. Eyes closed, Ren listened for any signal of whatever entity was watching them, whether it be Grimm… or someone else.

Cautiously, Ren's hands dipped to his sides, where Storm Flower's pistols were holstered, and drew the weapons. The sounds of folding metal came from behind him as his team followed suit, bracing themselves for whatever it was he could sense and assuming battle positions.

All at once, Ren's eyes snapped open. Footsteps were rapidly approaching from the entrance of the town, and even as he turned, a lithe, blurred figure suddenly leaped high above one of the ruined buildings, flipping in the air before he landed several feet away from them.

Cackling with maniacal joy as he whipped his wrists to the side and deployed a pair of serrated, pincer-style claws that functioned as his weapons, Tyrian Callows rushed forward with a demented grin towards Team RNJR.

Ren was ready, coming in high with his own blades as he intercepted Tyrian's attack. The man easily blocked Ren's attack and ducked back as the younger boy threw a kick, catching the leg with his forearm. Ren leaned back and let out a quick burst of fire, which Tyrian blocked on his blades, before coming in close and disposing of Ren with two kicks. The boy managed to dodge the first, but Tyrian's own agility was incredible, and the second shot forward at lightning speed, sending Ren flying and opening Tyrian's path towards the others.

Quickly, the deranged man locked on to his target, and with a burst of speed, he was upon Ruby, slashing away Crescent Rose's blade and driving her back with a strong kick. He whirled, coming down again on the handle of the scythe, eliciting a surprised cry from Ruby. The girl flipped the weapon in her hands even as Tyrian spun again, once more lashing out with his feet before he followed with a savage slice to the weapon. Ruby quickly protected herself from the blow with her Aura, but the force still brought a pained grimace to her face and drew red sparks from her Aura's shield as it thrust her away.

As Ruby was thrown backwards by Tyrian's attack, Jaune came forward to block Tyrian from further pursuing her. However, Tyrian did the unexpected and climbed onto Jaune's shield with all four limbs, leaning in close with crazed golden eyes as he uttered a strange, "_Ooh!_"

Nora came sprinting in from the side to help Jaune, but Tyrian quickly pushed away from the shield, sending Jaune stumbling back, and landed on his feet atop the hammer head of Magnhild. Powerful legs propelled Tyrian through the air as he leaped high again, crashing through the wall of one of Oniyuri's desolate buildings as Team RNJR regrouped below him.

Ruby got back to her feet at the rear of the pack as Jaune shouted up at their assailant, "We're not looking for a fight?"

"Who are you?" demanded Ren.

As the dust from the crumbled wall cleared, Tyrian grinned down at the teens, balancing in a wide split between two cracked beams. With another high leap, the man flipped and came down on one knee in front of them, before straightening and eyeing them with predatory intent. While he talked, his clawlike weapons retracted, folding backwards along his lower forearm

Almost theatrical in the way he carried himself, Tyrian lifted one arm, his brown coat hanging beneath him, and gestured dismissively to Ren. "Who I am matters not to you…" he shifted towards Nora, "...or you, or…" However, his gaze narrowed as he trailed off and motioned at Jaune. "Well, you _do _interest me."

Jaune flinched back a bit, confused, as Tyrian slightly chuckled a bit and continued, "No, I only matter… to _you_." He pointed past the three members of JNPR. Nora, Ren, and Jaune followed his finger towards Ruby, who was staring at Tyrian with as much confusion as the rest them. "Me?" she repeated, shifting her head slightly.

At her question, Tyrian snickered again, bending over as a short fit of unsettling laughter overtook him. Once the laughter had passed, he looked at her with his arms spread, almost sounding incredulous as he said, "You… you haven't the slightest clue, do you?!" His mouth twisted into a sneer. "Oh, how exciting this must be!" He loosed another stream of insane giggling.

Ruby's gaze hardened. "What do you want?"

Tyrian gave a mock gasp as he recoiled, a hand to his chest in shock. "_Oh! _The Rose has thorns!" He paused for a moment. "My little flower, I'm here to whisk you away with me!" he explained with a smirk.

Protectively, Nora stepped in front of her friend, hammer held threateningly as she said coldly, "Well what if she doesn't _want _to go with you?"

Tyrian frowned. "Well. I'll take her."

Jaune mimicked Nora's action, his face determined as he raised his shield. "We are _not _going to let you do that."

Tyrian sucked in a long, slow breath, before his face twisted into a sinister, malicious grin. "_Good,_" he hissed.

Suddenly, he vanished. Jaune blinked, his eyes turning as he followed a brown blur that was suddenly behind him, pincer claws poised to strike. Tyrian had moved blindingly fast, and everyone stared in wide-eyed shock at his speed.

"Jaune!" Ren cried, aiming his pistols towards his friend and opening fire. Almost instinctively, Jaune raised his shield, the bullets ricocheting off of the metal towards Tyrian, forcing him to block before he could attack the blond boy.

Tyrian leaped at Jaune, who went down on one knee and raised his shield diagonally to avoid the stabbing blades. However, Tyrian stayed on top of the shield, spinning on his claws as Ren shifted his position and opened fire again, while Ruby rushed to Jaune's aide from behind. Tyrian easily dodged the rounds from Ren and twisted off of the shield, batting Ruby away with a kick. She slid away, digging her scythe into the ground to slow her momentum.

Jaune quickly got back to his feet with a cry, unleashing a long, horizontal slash at Tyrian, but the limber man bent over backwards to dodge the slash and violently brought his foot down on the back of Jaune's head, the boy giving a pained grunt as a second kick sprawled him away and Tyrian set his sights on Nora.

However, even as Tyrian dashed forward, Ruby, using her blade to steady her aim, grinned slightly as she fired in their direction. As he sprinted, the man looked over his shoulder, watching in surprise as a round of electricity Dust sizzled through the air beside his ear and struck Nora, knocking her to the ground with a dizzy grunt.

Tyrian stopped, staring at the fallen girl in slight shock, before the humor of the moment brought him once again into a cackling fit. All the while, he never noticed the slight, cocky smile that played on Ruby's lips as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Well," he said in a breathy voice as he faced the sniper down, "if _that _isn't ironic!" Unbeknownst to him, behind him, Nora was rising to her feet, electricity dancing along her limbs as she tightly gripped her hammer. Finally, Tyrian took in the Ruby's grin and the knowing look that Jaune and Ren shared, his smile twisting into a confused frown. However, Nora herself was smiling with energized glee as she lunged forward.

Tyrian almost didn't know what hit him. By the time he had turned to follow the gaze of the rest of RNJR behind him, Nora was already at his side, right in front of where he had been a moment before. Muscles charged by her Semblance absorbing Ruby's shot, Nora brought Magnhild's head down on Tyrian. _Hard._

The impact threw a cloud of dust violently away from the point of origin in all directions, providing temporary blindness to all the combatants. When the dust settled, Ruby, Nora, Jaune, and Ren all expected to see Tyrian flat on the ground, crushed beneath the power of the blow with his Aura cracked or failing.

What none of them had at all expected to see was the large, leathery length of muscle that had torn a hole in Tyrian's back and now held Nora's hammer at bay, despite the massive force with which it had been wielded. The protrusion was dark brown and segmented into separate joints, ending in a fat, curved portion with a wickedly sharp stinger. It was a tail, a Faunus scorpion tail.

As the friends looked on in shock, Tyrian giggled at their reactions and gave a taunting, "Surprise!" even as Nora strained to push the hammer down. With seeming ease, the Faunus lunatic held the hammer aloft with his tail, before he spun and gave two sharp kicks to Nora that knocked her aside. His hand went to the brown coat and hurled it away as he flipped backwards to stand on the roof, his blades once again folded back against his wrists as he placed his hands on his hips, his stinger poised triumphantly over his shoulder like a spectating serpent.

"He's… a Faunus!" Ren managed in dumb shock. None of them had been able to tell that the tail was there, disguised at his waist as just another leather belt, no doubt to keep the element of surprise on his side.

Ruby glared up at the grinning scorpion Faunus. "What is this about?" she demanded angrily. "The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?"

However, Tyrian's grin remained as he gestured with his hands and his tail and dismissed her claims. "Plastic soldiers and pawns! My heart and soul belong only to our _goddess!_" He uttered the title reverently, raising his arm above his head as he did so.

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Cinder."

Tyrian, however, merely scoffed. "Only in her wildest dreams!" With that, his yellow eyes flared and he leaped forward, the claws reemerging as he landed behind Ruby with deceptive speed. His tail, a prehensile third arm, batted at Crescent Rose, and he ducked as she slashed at him in turn before landing a solid strike in the center of the staff that knocked Ruby to the ground.

Instantly, he changed targets, aiming his tail at Ren as his eyes momentarily turned violet, signifying that he was using the venom in the stinger. Ren managed to dodge the two attacks, but only barely, before Tyrian kicked him away. The man's style was similar to that of the animal his Faunus trait emulated, using pincer blades like a scorpion's claws as he led with his legs, twisting his body to combat Jaune and Nora simultaneously, then driving Ren away again when he rejoined the fray.

On the edge of Oniyuri, there was a flutter in the air as a lonely bird, the only observer of the fight, suddenly raced into the village, flapping its wings rapidly as it flew towards the scene.

Now clear of enemies, Tyrian dashed forward towards Ruby, each slice sending red sparks of Aura into the air, before he smacked her with his tail like a club and sent her flying through the air. Immediately, he raced after her, managing to beat her before she could hit the ground as he landed a devastating kick to her midsection that sent a red shimmer across her body, a telltale sign that her Aura had broken.

The bird neared the ground as it drew closer to the fight, and as it did, it morphed into a man, changing shape in an instant as the man broke into a dead sprint towards Team RNJR.

Weakened and battered, Ruby held an arm to her aching torso as she skidded to a stop on the ground, Crescent Rose too far away to grab. Above her, Tyrian sneered down at her, his eyes once again violet with poison as he prepared to sting her. While he was perfectly capable of killing her immediately, his orders were to bring her alive, so a mild sting would be enough to put her out of commission until he could deliver her to his goddess.

Ruby looked up in terror as his tail twitched. Behind her, Nora had rushed to Ren's side where he had fallen, and Jaune was too far away to help. All three former members of JNPR watched in despair as Tyrian let out a fierce cry and stabbed his tail forward.

There was a crash and a loud _clang_, as if something had struck metal. A nearby wall had shattered as someone leaped through it, spreading debris and dust into the air once more. As the dust cleared, and Ruby realized that she hadn't been stung, she looked up with a gasp to see a Huntsman towering over her, messy black hair pushed back on his head as a tattered crimson cape fluttered from his shoulders. A large broadsword was fastened to his back, which he firmly gripped the handle of as it blocked the stinging tail.

Behind the Huntsman, Tyrian gave a small giggle of surprised recognition, and as Ruby looked up, she couldn't help it as a relieved smile escaped her lips with a sigh.

Smiling slightly back down at her, Qrow Branwen echoed her sigh. "Hey."


	52. Punished

**Chapter Seven: Punished**

**Mistralian Countryside, Kingdom of Mistral**

Oscar Pine gave a contented sigh as he read book. This was always his favorite time of day, when the crickets concerted from outside his window and his body, weary from the daily chores, was able to take a break and relax. He sat indian-style on his bed, the book in his lap illuminated from the light of a nearby lamp.

Suddenly, from down the stairs, his aunt's voice called out, "Oscar! Supper's almost ready!"

"What are we having?" he called back.

"Doesn't matter," his aunt replied, "you're eating it."

He grinned wryly. "I never agreed to these terms!" he said before turning the page.

The playful smile was heard in her voice as she replied, "It's part of the living-under-my-roof contract. Read the fine print, then come wash up!"

Oscar stared at the page number for a moment, burning the place he had stopped at into his memory, before closing his book and leaning back with a small, regretful exhale. He pushed himself to his feet and made for the door, but before he could even approach it, the Voice stopped him.

"_We have to leave._"

Oscar grimaced as it spoke, his brow furrowed in dismay. He'd thought it had

finally stopped. The Voice that called itself Ozpin hadn't spoken to him in three days, and Oscar had been sure that all of it was just some strange puberty thing. Hands clenched in determination, he marched across the room. "_Oscar,_" the Voice said, but he paid it no heed. "_Oscar,_" it said again, more insistently, and this time, his hand froze as it prepared to grab the doorknob.

Oscar lowered his arm and looked at the ground. "I've decided you're not real, so you might as well just give up."

"_I understand how you're feeling,_" Ozpin went on. "_I went through the same panic and confusion._" Oscar shivered. He didn't think he could ever get used to hearing that disembodied voice in his thoughts, speaking things that weren't his own.

The farmboy turned and knelt to the ground, where a few other books he had read were scattered. He picked up one and closed it, then put it back on the short shelf beneath his window, murmuring to himself, "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real," as if the words could banish the Voice forever.

However, as he righted and gazed at his translucent reflection in the glass, Ozpin said, "_I can assure you: you're perfectly sane._"

"I'm talking to a voice in my head," Oscar pointed out.

"_I didn't say you were normal,_" Ozpin replied, "_I said you were sane._" Oscar turned and walked towards the door as the Voice continued, "_There's quite a significant difference between—_"

"Shut up!" Oscar shouted to the empty room, stopping once again in front of his door. "You think this is funny?" he demanded. "It's not!"

"_We are in complete agreement on that matter, I promise you,_" Ozpin replied. "_Believe me, I wish this weren't the case. But as I've told you, our Aura, our _souls, _are combined._"

Oscar didn't know where to address, so he simply glowered at the ceiling as he said, "I'm done listening to you."

There was silence in his mind for a few, blessed moments before Ozpin returned. "_Have you ever been to Haven?_"

Oscar slumped slightly. _This again_. "I told you I'm not going, and I told you I'm done listening."

Ozpin took no heed to his indifference. "_Do you think you could describe the headmaster's office?_"

Now, Oscar's face quirked in confusion. This was new. "No," he replied incredulously, "why would I know that? I've never seen—"

"_Try. Right now_."

Oscar sighed. It was clear he would have no clarity until he did as the Voice asked. "It's probably…" he began, before he abruptly trailed off. "It's…" Suddenly, an image was entering his mind, and he couldn't help it as he began to describe what he saw. "It's autumn-colored… with a large mahogany desk. There's a small table with chairs in a corner for guests, with a teas set that… I…" That wasn't right. He had never been to Haven Academy, much less met the headmaster. But the longer Oscar thought it, the more it seemed right as he finished, "I gave him."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, a cold sweat appearing on his brow as he put a hand up to his head in shocked unease. "Why did I say that?" he wondered aloud to himself, his words becoming more unsteady by the moment as he continued, "Why did I know that, _why did I say that?_"

As he backed up a step and lowered his hand, Ozpin helpfully supplied from his thoughts, "_Because I helped build that school, and the tea set was a gift to the man running it now._"

Almost angry at Ozpin's calm tone, Oscar sank back onto his bed with a groan, putting his head in his hands as he grimaced. "_If you don't believe me, you can look it up,_" Ozpin continued. "_If I recall, your aunt has several books on Mistral downstairs. I'm certain you could find a picture in one of them_."

A rational thought broke through the Voice's words, and Oscar clung to it like a lifeline as he straightened up and said in a shaky voice, "That… that's right, I must've seen it in a picture." He sighed in relief, until the Voice needled him gently, "_Oscar._"

"Stop talking to me!" the farmboy cried in anger as he stood quickly from the bed, his fists tight.

Ozpin's voice became serious as he replied, "_I have a grave responsibility to uphold. We _both _do._"

Oscar fell to his knees, overwhelmed. "I never agreed to anything."

Ozpin sounded as if he would nod if he were there. "_No, you didn't. And neither did I, at first. But you do have an opportunity._"

"For what?"

"_Greatness. Hopefully._" He paused, as if considering his words. "_Greatness in knowing that, when the world needed help, _you _were the one to reach out your hand. It won't come without hardship, without sacrifice, but I know you don't want to live the rest of your life working as a farmhand in Mistral._"

Oscar put his hands to his head in shocked surprise, eyes wide. "So you just decided to read my thoughts?" he demanded.

Now, Ozpin sounded like he winced. "_I… well, they're _our _thoughts now._"

Oscar bowed his head, shouting one more time, "Get out of my head!"

"Oscar!"

The farmboy looked up, both surprised and relieved to hear a voice that wasn't Ozpin's as his aunt called, "Supper time! I better see clean hands!" However, the lingering thoughts of his conversation with the voice troubled him, and it wasn't for a long time that he got off of the floor and finally left his room.

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable!"

Weiss sighed softly as her father paced in front of her, seething. After the debacle with her Semblance at the party, the guests had hurriedly begun to leave, fearful that they too would suffer her wrath. As the crowd dwindled down to nothing, Jacques, who had barely contained his fury for what remaining patrons were in the ballroom, ushered her out by the elbow and ordered her into her room. However, despite all of this, Weiss felt no fear, just a kind of weary resignation as her father fumed before her.

Abruptly, Jacques turned towards her, a finger pointing accusingly. "Do you have any idea what your stunt cost us?"

"I—"

"And don't think I'm just talking about _Lien _here!" he cut her off, so viciously that she recoiled. "Our reputation! Our… our…" Too angry to speak, Jacques turned away with a sigh of frustration. There was a moment of silence as the businessman rubbed the back of his head.

"I want to leave."

Jacques turned to his daughter, not sure he was hearing correctly. "I beg your pardon?" he demanded.

"I said, I want to leave," Weiss repeated, meeting her father's gaze definitively. "I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to stay in _Atlas _anymore!"

Harshly, her father ground out, "Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want!" He pointed at her again. "This isn't about _you, _this is about the Schnee family name and your apparent _insistence _on dragging it through the mud!"

At that, Weiss' internal fire flared, and she stood from her bed to defiantly glare back at Jacques in contempt. "I have done _nothing _but fight to uphold the honor of _my _family name! A name that _you _married into!" she spat.

The sting was a shock that drew a gasp from her lips. She brought a hand to her left cheek, which burned from his palm, as she stared back at him in shock. Jacques had done many things to her before, but he had never hit her. What shocked her further was how cavalier he looked about it, as if it hadn't even happened. If anything, he was even calmer now than he had been before the slap. She had seen the monster, though, the one that the world never saw. It dwelt in his cobalt-blue eyes when they burned with rage, always pacing below the surface.

"This behavior of yours is incredibly disappointing," he said, once again the cool businessman. "You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is. You think running off like your sister is going to make the Schnee name stronger?" He adjusted his necktie slightly. "You're wrong. Siding with her only divides us."

The heat still reverberating across her face, Weiss replied in a measured tone, "I'm not _siding _with anyone. I'm doing what I feel is right, and that does _not _include wasting my time up here with these clueless people in Atlas." Jacques turned away from her and walked down the steps a few paces, rolling his eyes as she finished, "The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to leave, it's _mine._ And I'll do it as a Huntress."

Her father turned back toward her, his gaze showing he'd been thinking. "No… you won't," he replied, slowly coming to stand before her again. As if reading off the conditions of a contract, he continued, "You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I _specifically _allow it. You _are _going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future."

Weiss' eyes widened as he spoke. "_What?!_"

Jacques almost looked regretful as he continued further, "Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents." If her shock hadn't held her tongue, the lava would have flowed again. After everything he had done, to drag her mother into this… "But from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you," Jacques finished.

Not waiting for her reply, her father turned for the door and prepared to leave. Weiss was still subdued by her surprise as she protested, "You can't just keep me from leaving!"

He turned towards her and regarded her. "I can, and the staff here will make sure of it."

"So now I'm just your prisoner?!" she demanded incredulously.

He had the nerve to grin slightly beneath his mustache. "You are my daughter. You are a _child,_ and children are grounded when they misbehave."

Even as she spoke, he didn't stop walking until he reached the door. "This is only going to make things worse, Father," Weiss pointed out. "People will ask questions! They'll want to know why the heiress to Schnee Dust Company is suddenly nowhere to be found."

He turned for a final time to look at her, almost piteous in his glance. "Which is why you are no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

Weiss took a step back, the shock breaking fresh across her mind as her jaw hung open. "Excuse me?"

Jacques replied, "Clearly, the trauma you endured at the Fall of Beacon was too much for you. Which is why you've generously revoked your claim to the company and its earnings and passed them on to your brother Whitley."

Speechless, the former heiress stared at her father in disbelief, but found no sympathy in his eyes. "It's time to wake up," he said coldly, "and face reality." With that last, fatal sentence, he opened the door and left. Weiss managed to catch a glimpse of Whitley outside her door, where he had clearly heard their entire conversation. Jacques made no move to acknowledge the boy's presence, but Whitley's smirk towards her as the sliver of hallway vanished behind the wood said everything.

In sudden realization, Weiss hurried to the door and flung it open, turning to the right with balled fists as she watched her brother departing from her doorway. "Whitley?!" she cried at him, causing him to stop and turn around.

An innocent smile playing on his lips, the boy replied, "Yes, sister?"

She walked up to him and crossed her arms. "Did you know about this?"

"About what?" She could slap him herself.

Restraining herself, Weiss said, "You never liked Winter. You never liked _me. _But you've been nothing but supportive since the moment I came back."

Still claiming naiveté, Whitley replied, "If being kind to my big sister is some sort of crime, then I suppose I'm guilty."

Suddenly, it clicked. His politeness, the support, the encouragement to be "strong, like Winter." All of it made sense. Her eyes widened in hurt surprise at the sudden epiphany, her voice halting as she said, "You _wanted _this to happen."

Finally, his faux politeness fell. "It's foolish not to do as Father asks," he said coolly. Weiss started in recognition. There, in her younger brother's eyes, was the same beast as her father's; smaller, younger, but there just the same. That realization almost stung her more than Jacques' slap had.

"I can't believe you." Her voice bordered on breaking.

"Don't worry, Weiss," Whitley replied with a sneer, holding his hands up at his sides. "The Schnee family name is in good hands." With that, he left her, walking down the corridor with a confident step.

Hating the tears that brimmed in her eyes, Weiss rushed back into her room, collapsing onto her bed as her emotions overtook her and she began to cry.

The tears were bitter, dampening the sheets in her sorrow and tainted by a lifetime of being used and abused by her father, a shiny ornament to be paraded before his colleagues rather than his daughter. However, even as they hurt, the tears were purging, cleaning her soul as she released all of the pent-up grief. Two airships flew by her window, cutting through her private tears, and Weiss looked up at the gleaming moon, sole audience to her private loneliness.

As she stared at the glowing spotlight in the sky, Weiss' thoughts drifted back across the months, to a time not long after Beacon Academy initiation. She recalled a day when she had gone to meet Professor Port after class, a day when Ruby had been particularly annoying and she had thought her world was falling apart because she hadn't been made the leader of her Team.

"_So the outcome did not fall in your favor,_" Port had said. "_Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision? So instead of fretting about what you don't have, savor what you _do_. Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best _leader_,_ _but the best _person _you can be._"

Well, now her world actually _was _falling apart, and as Port's words came back to her, Weiss felt a sense of calm wash over her emotions. All at once, determination overtook her thoughts, and her hand curled into a fist as she rose from the bed. She strode over to the curtains and drew them shut, then pushed aside her bed and other pieces of furniture to give herself a wide area to work with.

_Hone your skills. Perfect every technique._

Her father was not the champion of her soul. For the longest time, he had owned her, bending her further and further until finally, tonight, she had broken. Well, now that she was broken, he could never fix her. Moving to her vanity, she faced the mirror and looked down at the small, white case that rested before her, the SDC emblem on the front. Clicking the latches, she opened the box, and Myrtenaster's silver blade and Dust vials gleamed up at her like an old friend. As she lifted the weapon, she held it out in front of her and smiled.

Her father was not in control anymore. It was time for him to learn what happened when he left her with nothing left to lose. Now… she gazed lovingly at her rapier's blade, but her gaze was drawn by a portrait on the wall. A large suit of armor, bowing in deference, with its large sword resting in its grip.

_Now it's my turn._

* * *

**Former Settlement Oniyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

Slightly perturbed at his attack being foiled, Tyrian Callows leaped back and analyzed his new opponent. Qrow spun around quickly, retrieving his weapon from its place behind him to hold it at the ready off to the side. His gaze was hard as he regarded the scorpion Faunus, who merely gave a surprised chuckle and raised his hands theatrically. "As I live and breathe!" Tyrian exclaimed. "Qrow Branwen!" He giggled, before offering a deep bow as he continued, "A true Huntsman has entered the fray!"

Qrow glanced back at his niece, who had slowly stood behind him and was supporting herself against Crescent Rose. Ruby stared back at him, just as confused as he was. "I don't know; this guy's weird," she murmured to him, before he turned back towards the other man.

"Look, pal," Qrow said in his usual gruff voice, "I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone." His voice took on atypical deadliness as he said it, standing defensively between Ruby and the Faunus man.

Tyrian's wrist blades retracted, and his face alighted in an amused grin as he said, "Why friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl." His hands, clasped a moment before, now motioned towards Ruby. "So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby repeated from behind Qrow.

The elder Huntsman, however, narrowed his gaze. "Salem," he growled out.

"Who?" Ruby said, even more confused that Qrow apparently knew what Tyrian was talking about. However, before she could be filled in, Tyrian cut in on their conversation.

"Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" he said with a malicious frown, curling up onto his hands and feet as his tail poised like a snake ready to strike.

Qrow was almost eager as he replied, "Took the words right out of–" before Tyrian cut him off with a crazed cry and dashed forward, slashing twice at Qrow's torso. The Huntsman blocked both strikes, then made a slash of his own, which the limber Faunus hurtled. Coming down with a violent kick, Tyrian flipped backwards with a joyous laugh, before he twirled back in with his pincer blades. Qrow grinned as well, meeting his opponent head on with a powerful upward swing that launched Tyrian high. Tyrian came down on the cobbled street of Oniyuri, halting his slide with his claws, before Qrow was on him in a moment, slashing and twisting with as much speed the other. The Huntsman blocked the poisoned stinger as it came at him, deflecting it on his blade, before he rolled into a flip in the air and brought his broadsword down hard on Tyrian's gauntlets. The Faunus man managed to block, but the Aura slash that Qrow had backed up his swing with bounced off of the metal and into a nearby building, slicing the roof off in an impressive display of strength.

Their blades throwing sparks as they locked together, Qrow looked down at his foe and grinned. Tyrian grinned right back, pressing a hidden button within his blades that extended two small gun barrels from each wrist above his blades. Both of Tyrian's hands suddenly began spitting fire at Qrow, who blocked the bullets as Tyrian used the tactic to break their stalemate and begin circling the Huntsman. Qrow displayed impressive swordsmanship as he spun his cumbersome blade to intercept the shots, while Tyrian wore a mad smile as he sprinted around his prey like a shark drawn to blood.

As Tyrian ceased his circle and concentrated on Qrow, Nora and Ren rushed in from behind, trying to get the drop on him, but the crazed Faunus somehow sensed them before they reached him and ducked beneath their blows with a crazed expression. He easily blocked their strikes and drive both back with a flurrying succession of kicks, forcing both of them back towards Ruby and Jaune. Immediately, Tyrian moved to chase them down, but Qrow stepped in between to cut off his foe's pursuit.

Tyrian grimaced as he used both claws to push against Qrow's broadsword, drawing more sparks, only to be pushed back as Qrow leaned against his blade. The Huntsman turned to his niece and her friends with a severe expression on his face. "Don't come closer!" he ordered intensely before being swept back up into the battle.

"Fine!" Ruby replied. The reaper, whose Aura had taken the breather to recharge, was back at full strengths, and now she darted forward towards a nearby building and propelled herself to the top with a shot from Crescent Rose. Twirling the scythe elegantly around herself, Ruby assumed a sniping position and took aim.

However, even as she moved her scope to follow the rapid back and forth of the fight, Qrow and Tyrian were never far enough apart that she had a clean shot. She grimaced and lowered her scope, forced to wait for an opening.

On the ground, Tyrian and Qrow were giving as good as they got. Tyrian's tail gave him extra agility and reach, but Qrow was naturally quick and handled his broadsword well. Tyrian had raised up on his tail and opened fire at Qrow as the Huntsman fired upon him with his own weapon, but as Tyrian slunk out of the path of the Dust round, his tail whipped out and stretched past Qrow's head, nearly nicking his face. The Huntsman managed to dodge, but when the tail coiled back, it tightly wound around his sword hand, loosing the sword from Qrow's fingers to fling it into a nearby wall. Qrow flexed his fingers and rubbed his wrist, stinging from the force, before he glowered at Tyrian, who came back up with a chuckle and prepared to strike.

That is, until a Dust round sizzled past his head and brushed his hair. Tyrian, confused for a moment, grinned as he twisted his tail behind him, using it as a writhing shield against the rest of Ruby's sniping attacks.

However, the shooting did offer Qrow a diversion. Looking at his now empty fist with a shrug, Qrow tightened his fingers and launched his hand forward into Tyrian's face. The cry of pain from the Faunus man was music to Qrow's ears as Tyrian's hands went to his face in surprise. Qrow almost grinned as he stared at the odd assortment of cheap metal rings adorning his fingers that Tai had never approved up but had always proven handy in a bar fight. However, Qrow didn't let his thoughts distract him as he came in with two more punches in quick succession, using the element of surprise to force Tyrian back before the other man could react.

Finally, with a powerful kick, Tyrian was sent scraping along the cobblestone, his face throbbing form Qrow's fists. The Huntsman allowed himself a confident swagger and a chuckle as he casually walked over to the wall to retrieve his weapon, but as Tyrian giggled behind him, his grim face returned. The scorpion Faunus struck from behind, but Qrow was ready, leaping upon the blade of his weapon as his thumb pulled the small lever near the clockwork gear. Metal whirred as the blade partially unfolded into its scythe form with the gun barrels pointed directly at Tyrian. The muzzle flashed with a bang, propelling Qrow high above the ruined settlement as he acrobatically perched atop a wooden plank on one arm, his legs above his head as he awaited Tyrian's attack.

The Faunus man leaped to the rooftop and severed the plank in two, coming down hard on Qrow's blade with his own gauntlet. He dashed at Qrow, but the other man sidestepped, sending Tyrian falling through a slat in the roof. Quickly, the prehensile tail darted up to grasp a firm beam as Tyrian swung back into the air, guns blazing. Qrow once more twirled his blade to block the shots before Tyrian came down again with three quick slashes, forcing Qrow back against the edge of the unfinished rooftop as their blades locked together again.

Qrow's gaze darted to the side and spotted an old, cracked plank. Quickly, he shoved Tyrian back and ran towards the damaged beam, watching as Tyrian leaped high to pursue him. However, the Faunus man came down right on the beam, and the old wood shattered under his weight, dumping him into the ruined building. Qrow jumped to get back to the ground, but the leathery scorpion tail shot out from the darkness below and wrapped around his ankle, pulling him down with Tyrian as the roof collapsed around them in a cloud of dusty smoke.

Ruby, still up in her sniper's perch, watched in dismay as the cloud rose above the building in dismay. With a determined scowl, she hopped atop her weapon's blade and surfed down the metal roof with a loud _shing_, firing her weapon twice to slow herself as she hit the ground and scampered forward to help her uncle in the wrecked house.

However, even as she neared the house, a side wall exploded outwards from the force of an unknown attack, and a moment later, Qrow was hurled bodily out of the structure. Bouncing on the ground once, he flung his sword forward to dig into the stone before he met it with his feet, his momentum sliding the sword back with a high _screech _as he came to a standing stop atop his vertical weapon's handle. Slowly, a flicker of crimson Aura shimmered across his torso, a testament to the intensity of the fight, as he peered deeper into the darkened interior for some sign of Tyrian. A second flicker ran over his body as a similar shimmer of violet energy outlined a form within the building just as Tyrian leaped from the shadows to attack.

Qrow retrieved his own weapon from the ground as he leaped forward as well, braced to block Tyrian as he leaped high. However, a flash of red slashed in between the two combatants as Ruby leaped into the fray, cutting Tyrian off from her uncle.

"Ruby!" cried Jaune from the sideline, still obeying her uncle's order to stay out of the fight. He made a move for her, but Ren held him back with one arm.

Tyrian looked to his original quarry with a disbelieving smile. "Do you _wish _to be taken?" he cried incredulously.

"No," she replied firmly, "but I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!"

As one, uncle and niece ran forward to attack, briefly interlocking their weapons with each of Tyrian's gauntlets before he kicked Qrow away with a pained grunt. Ruby blocked a quick strike from the tail, then spun her scythe to catch a barrage of bullets on the staff as she swung forward.

Tyrian batted the blade away and grinned at her with poisonous violet eyes, sending his tail in for a second attack when Ruby was wide open. The girl looked up with a frightened gasp, but Qrow jumped in the way at just the right moment, blocking the tail with his sword. He turned quickly and held Tyrian's wrists at bay, the metal grinding and spitting sparks.

"Ruby," Qrow shouted at her, "what did I say?! _Get back!_"

Ruby protested, "This is my fight too!" before she quickly rushed around the two men and slashed at Tyrian's legs, who quickly leaped over the attack.

"No," Qrow tried to say, "it's not that! It's–"

But Ruby was already moving, unleashing a fierce cry as she charged Tyrian again. Tyrian left Qrow behind as Ruby slashed at him, and he blocked with his tail, before he flipped into a two-footed kick that drove her back against the building the men had crashed through.

As Ruby waited for the next attack, she didn't notice a loose pile of rubble that had been unsteadied by the breaking of the wall earlier, and as she looked back, the wooden planks toppled down onto her to quick for her to block. Even as she gasped, though, Qrow leaped forward and sliced the wood in two, saving his niece.

Ruby smiled up at her uncle, grateful for the save, and he grinned ruefully back at her. However, in a moment, his face twisted in a pained gasp as Tyrian's tail shot forward and caught him across the stomach, leaving a long, bloody cut beneath a torn scrap of Qrow's coat and shirt.

Tyrian let out a soft chuckle, his eyes venomously purple as Qrow gasped. To the side, Nora, Ren, and Jaune all stared in shocked horror as the stinger connected. However, Ruby didn't hesitate for a moment as she thrust Crescent Rose forward, caught the blade around the tail, and pulled her trigger. Immediately, the scythe shot backwards, the blade encountering no resistance from Tyrian's diminished Aura as it took him off guard, slicing easily through sinew and flesh to cut Tyrian's tail off at the stinger. The stinger fell to the ground, twitching for a moment as it spurted a purplish liquid that sizzled a bit on the cobblestone, before it fell still.

However, a different sort of venom emerged from Tyrian's mouth as recoiled in agony, pained screams echoing around Oniyuri. Behind him, his tail twitched madly, as if possessed, and his glare towards Ruby was murderous as he spat, "You _bitch!_" before he continued to grunt and shriek in tortured rage. Qrow and Ruby regarded him carefully, the former panting as he held a hand to his wound. Unable to focus clearly from his anguish, Tyrian took a couple of steps forward towards them, but stopped as the rest of Team RNJR stood in his path, weapons held at the ready.

While he may have been able to take them before with ease, Tyrian knew that his lack of both a tail and fresh Aura would prove disastrous even against these novice Huntsmen and Huntresses. Whimpering to himself a small, reassuring, "She'll forgive you," the maimed Faunus gave one final grunt of pain before he turned and sprinted away.

Once he had disappeared around the corner, Qrow fell unsteadily to a knee, panting hard as he dropped his weapon, his sword hand going to his wound.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried in alarm as she raced to his side. "Are you okay?"

Despite the shakiness of his voice and the fire pulsating in his side, Qrow tried to flash his niece a convincing smile as he managed, "I'll be fine. He just… grazed me." He pulled his hand away from the cut, red with blood and trembling slightly.

The rest of RNJR rushed in, instantly bombarding the wounded Huntsman with questions. "Who was that guy?" Nora asked.

"How did you get here?" followed Ren.

"Why are people after Ruby?!" Jaune cried.

Ruby looked at her uncle in concern as he continued panting heavily. "Uncle Qrow, what's going on?"

Qrow, panting heavily, took a moment before he answered with a weary sigh, his smile now as genuine as it was ironic. "What's your favorite fairytale?"


	53. A Much Needed Talk

**Chapter Eight: A Much Needed Talk**

**Near Former Settlement Oniyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

He had to admit, they were taking it a lot better than he had when he had first heard it.

Qrow waited in the silence for the first one of them to speak up, taking a swig from his flask as he did to dull the pain. The kids had been flustered after the fight with Tyrian, between his own sudden appearance and subsequent injury, and as such, they had neglected to remember that they had dropped their map outside of Oniyuri before entering the ruined settlement. When the blonde one, Jaune, had gone back, the map was already gone, blown away by a gust of wind. As such, the kids had moved blindly through the woods. decided to get as far away from the city as possible before they made camp. Once they settled in a small clearing, Ren and Nora worked together to try and treat his wounds. They had managed to find some herbs around the campsite while Ruby and Jaune build a fire which Ren assured him could help against infection, but neither of the duo said what everyone was thinking, that the leaves and flowers were likely to do little against whatever poison had been in Tyrian's stinger. Ren had wanted to treat it with some of Qrow's alcohol, but the man's silent glare had prompted him to leave the subject alone after the first question.

So, the two former students had done the best they could, wrapping the wound with some sterile bandages after treating it, then helping Qrow ease into a sitting position as night finally fell. No one made small talk as they ate a small dinner of food packed from the previous village, and when the food was gone, the expectant stares towards himself had left Qrow with little option but to start with his explanation.

Now, he gazed around the campfire, particularly at his niece and Jaune. Ruby looked dazed, as if she had been awakened to a new world in a moment—which Qrow supposed wasn't too far from the truth. Jaune, however, sat staring into the fire, his brow furrowed grimly in the same expression he had worn during Qrow's story. Not that the Huntsman could blame the boy. He hadn't been blind at Beacon, and he had seen the relationship that Oz's candidate, the young Pyrrha Nikos, had been trying to build with Jaune before the Fall of Beacon. Now, Qrow watched Jaune uneasily, dreading the conversation that was to come but knowing it was necessary.

As he finished his swig from the flask, Qrow glanced around at the four tens. "Really? No questions?"

"Of course we have questions," Jaune replied, glaring slightly at Qrow before he went back to staring at the fire. "This is just… a lot to take in."

Qrow sighed softly. "Sure, of course."

"So these… Maidens," Ruby began, testing the word. "They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic."

"Yeah."

"And there are four of them?"

The question came from Nora, and he turned towards her with a small nod. "Yup. Always."

Ren continued the thought. "Which means that, whenever one of the dies, the power transfers to someone—a female—that they care about?"

"Whoever was in their thoughts last. Important distinction." Qrow gestured slightly with the flask. "Best option, it's someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls become combined, in a way."

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha." Qrow winced internally. _There _it was. He turned and met Jaune's accusatory stare. "The night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them."

Qrow waited a moment before deflecting the question. "The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who we now know is Cinder, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it." He let his thoughts drift back to more than a year ago, to that dusty road in this very Kingdom where he had arrived too late to prevent Amber's power from being stolen. Oz had been in something close to a controlled panic. It was the most flustered Qrow had ever seen the headmaster, and it had scared him. "We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well."

Jaune's intense gaze didn't soften. "So you forced it on Pyrrha."

"We didn't force anything," Qrow defended tiredly. "We explained the situation and gave her a choice, and she chose. You were there, you heard her."

Jaune stared at the ground momentarily, then straightened and looped his legs over the log he'd been sitting on, standing as he stalked away from the camp a couple paces with the fire to his back. Qrow stared thoughtfully at the boy's head, wondering what he was thinking.

Ruby's voice returned his awareness to the conversation at hand. "That guy, Tyrian… why was he after me?"

Qrow sighed. "Well, you definitely painted a target on your back with what you did at Beacon." Once again his memory travelled, back to the bedside conversation he'd had with her half a year prior, the day she's awoken from her coma. "I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. And the fact that you were able to use them seems to have upset some very powerful people.

"Not many people know about the Silver Eyes, but those that do aren't very happy that one has surfaced. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you, in order to make sure you were safe." He stared pointedly at the back of Jaune's head. "_All _of you."

Ruby looked at him in confusion. "Well, then why not just travel with us? It seems like that would've been way easier."

"He was using you as bait."

Everyone looked at Jaune, who was still facing away from the campsite. Slowly, Nora, Ren, and Ruby's heads swivelled towards Qrow, who waved his hands dismissively but with a touch of nervousness. "Look, I wouldn't put it like that, it's… complicated." It wasn't true, but he had _had_ his reasons for keeping his distance. They didn't need to know yet.

Jaune finally turned back to them. "What _is _all of this?" His voice grew louder with frustration as he continued, "Ruby's being hunted, the schools are being attacked, all for what?! What is the point of all of this?! Will you just tell us what's going on?!"

Qrow held his gaze a moment longer, then slumped over with a heavy sigh. Well, he'd gone this far. They might as well know the entire legend. "Would you sit down? You're stressin' me out, kid." As Jaune sat back down on the log and glared at Qrow with crossed arms, the Huntsman went to take another sip but paused as the flask reached his lips. No, he needed lucidity for this, and the pain buzzing in his side had already been dulled enough tonight.

"Not many people are super religious these days." He closed his flask and set it on the log beside him, then gazed around that the young group of former students around him. "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real." He had heard this story so many times, he could quote it by heart, but Oz always did it better

"They were brothers," Qrow began. "The older sibling, the god of light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the god of darkness, spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife. And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the god of darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returned.

"So one night, the younger brother went and made something—something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything."

Ruby's voice was quiet, but rang with understanding. "The creatures of Grimm."

Qrow nodded. "You guessed it." He continued the fable gradually. "The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of: their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed.

"This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow—the path of light or the path of darkness." A grin still tickled his lips whenever he heard the last part. "And that is how Humanity came to be."

"But… what does that have to do with us?" Ren asked.

"Well," Qrow replied soberly, "that's the kicker. See, the four gifts to mankind—knowledge, creation, destruction and choice—aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them is extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. And that's exactly what the enemy wants.

"The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose—guarding the Relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of _her _reach."

Qrow shrugged slightly. "So, yeah, there's that."

"Her. You mean, Salem?" Qrow looked to his niece, startled for a moment at how young she looked. She could've been a little girl again, asking him to check under her bed for a monster.

Shaking himself from those thoughts, Qrow replied, "That's right. Not much is known about her," he glanced around, "and frankly, that's not what matters. What matters right now is that she wants the Relics, and if she gets them, it's not going to end well." He paused for a long moment, letting them absorb the information.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

In another part of Remnant, the broken moon gleamed brightly in the sky above the Belladonna Manor in Menagerie. Outside of the Chieftan's office, Blake leaned back against the small wooden railing of the second story deck. She had been meaning to get her father alone sooner after she'd come back, but he had been so busy over the last week between managing the affairs of Kuo Kuana and studying the documents Corsac and Fennec Albain had brought him from the leader of the White Fang that she had never found a spare moment.

Finally, now that she was able to find him at a time when he was less busy, she didn't know what to say. At a loss, Blake simply stared stoically at the door to her father's office, unsure of what she truly intended to do.

"You know, you can always go in and say hi," came the voice of her mother from

the side. Kali was approaching from around the corner, a tray carrying a tea set in her hands. Her voice was always warm and comforting, like silk, had been that way for as long as Blake could remember.

"I don't wanna bother him," Blake replied, sheepishly holding her arm.

Kali smile knowingly, not accepting the excuse. "A father's never too busy for his daughter."

Blake's mind wandered to Weiss, and before the memory could make her sad, she managed to smile in slight amusement. "Not all of my friends would agree with you on that."

Kali leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her daughter's cheek, then extended the small tray to Blake, who accepted it hesitantly. "Here," said Kali.

"What?" Blake said. Kali began to walk away with a small smirk. "Where are you going?"

Kali stopped and turned back to Blake with a playful smile on her face. "_You've _never been very talkative, but that boy you brought home loves to run his mouth." She turned away again, walking back around the corner as she finished, "I wanna hear more about the adventures of Team RWBY." With that, she was gone, leaving Blake flustered and with the tray of tea in hand.

From inside the office, Ghira called out, "Kali, is that you dear?" Blake gave a small, surprised jerk at the voice, the tray clattering in her slightly trembling hands as she quietly moaned in nervousness.

Slowly, Blake approached the door and slid it open, balancing the tray on one

hand as she closed it, before she turned and walked into her father's view. "Uh, hey, Dad."

Ghira looked up in surprise, a smile blooming on his face as he said, "Blake! Well, this is a pleasant surprise."

"I…"

"Please, come sit," he suggested as he stood from his desk, motioning towards a couple of small sofas around a table in the middle of the room. Blake moved to the large coffee table and set the tray down as Ghira hurried over to a soft chair, urging her, "Don't worry, I've got it. Sit down, sit down."

She looked at her father tentatively as she sat. "I don't wanna keep you if

You're–"

"Nonsense," he protested with a smile as he poured tea into the small wooden cups, "I've been cooped up in here all day." He dropped a lump of sugar into the cup nearest her. "You still take sugar, right?"

"Oh, actually, uh–"

"Oh! Sorry!" her father said, pulling pack.

"No, no no no, it's fine," Blake assured him.

"Oh, here, take this one," Ghira suggested, offering the cup in his own hand.

"No, really, it's… it's no big deal."

"You sure?" Ghira asked.

Blake gave a small, reassuring smile. "Positive."

Ghira relaxed back a bit, cradling his own cup with a small chuckle. "Old habits, I suppose."

Blake took a sip of her tea and winced as an involuntary moan escaped her.

"Might wanna let it cool," Ghira suggested.

"Right," Blake said with slight pain, wincing from her burned tongue as she set her cup back on the table. There was an awkward silence for a couple of moments.

Ghira was the one to hesitantly open up. "So… is it… warm… in Vale?" he asked hesitantly?

"Huh?" Blake replied, confused.

Ghira looked down as he tried to put his next statement tactfully. "It just… seems like your outfit doesn't cover very much," he pointed out, glancing down at her exposed midriff like any concerned father would.

Blake followed his gaze and self-consciously crossed her arms. "It covers plenty."

Trying to ease into his statements, Ghira continued, "I mean, a little more armor might help. Don't you thing?"

Blake shrugged away slightly, her tone defensive. "I'm fine. I don't need armor, I can look after myself."

"I…" Ghira began, before cutting himself off with a sigh. He didn't want to fight with her. Not right now, when she had finally come home. "I know you can. I'm sorry." He gently set his cup of tea down on the table.

Suddenly, Blake looked away, her ears curling. "Why?"

He paused, taken aback. "Hmm?"

"Why would you say that?" she asked him.

Ghira stood from his chair and came to kneel beside her, stroking the back of her head in an effort to get her to meet his eyes. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What did I say?"

Blake's voice nearly broke, and her eyes shimmered, as she said, "How can you still love me after what I did?"

It broke Ghira's heart. "Blake…" He stood and rounded the couch to come and sit beside her, his arm around her shoulders as she began to quietly cry. "Your mother and I will always love you."

Blake made weak fists in her lap as her voice caught. "You were right. I shouted and you and yelled at you." She met his gaze, ashamed of herself. "But you were right." She fell into his shoulder, hiding herself in the purple fuzz of his coat. "I called you cowards!" she said as her breath hitched.

"It's okay," Ghira soothed her, bringing her head close with his other hand.

Blake straightened, her eyes still half-lidded with tears, as she said, "I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom. I should've listened to you, and I'm sorry." She didn't understand how he could smile at her right now, and she turned away from his face. "I'm so, so sorry."

Gentle fingers turned her chin back towards her father. "Blake, it's fine," he told her as he wiped a tear from her eye with his thumb. "We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail. The only thing I ever feared was that you would fall down the wrong path." His own eyes gleamed slightly as he continued, "and I'm so proud to see you haven't."

"But I did!" she protested, sniffing as she fell back against his chest. "I was–"

"And you pulled yourself out," Ghira replied. "You came back. There aren't many who possess that kind of strengths and even fewer that have the courage to face their demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon: you confronted the White Fang time after time."

"I didn't do it alone," she said with a tinge of regret in her voice.

"No, you didn't," he agreed. "Which is why I wanted to ask you… Why did you leave Vale? Why did you leave your friends behind?"

Blake sniffed again. "I…"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a large crash from behind accompanied by a yelp. Blake and Ghira both turned as one to stare in shock at Sun, who had toppled in atop the door to the study, where he had evidently been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Sun?!" Blake cried in outraged surprise.

"Clumsily, the Faunus boy tried to recover. "D'yuh, whoa! This isn't the bathroom!" he cried loudly. "Uh, I'll just be going! Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!" However, the damage was done.

Father and daughter both glared openly at Sun. Blake's ear twitched as Ghira took in a slow breath and closed his eyes. "I really don't like you."

* * *

**Near Former Settlement Oniyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

"Alright," said Jaune finally "so, let's say we believe all this. There really is this crazy evil being behind all these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful." He stared intently at Qrow. "Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them? Or Mistral?"

""And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven?" Nora seconded. "Shouldn't we be getting them a message? What if they're next?"

Qrow would have chuckled had the conversation not been so somber. It was the Vault all over again. He could already hear Glynda's voice saying, "_From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge._"

However, he cast his memoires aside once more. "The headmaster over there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight?" He pointed to Jaune. "And to answer your question, it's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the Relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. There'd be another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight." He pointed at Jaune again, not quite insultingly. The boy turned away.

Qrow continued, "Look, I had the same questions, too. But ol' Ozpin would always put his foot down. 'We can't cause a panic.' Heh, can't tell you how many times I've heard that." He paused for a moment, serious when he spoke again. "Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants, so that when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other." He looked up to the fractured moon, taking a small sip from his flask as he did. "She's trying to divide us—humanity, and so far she's done a pretty damn good job."

Everyone as quiet for a moment. Then, Ruby spoke up. "Alright, so what should we do?"

For once, Qrow didn't have an answer. With a slight chuckle, he replied, "I don't really know."  
At their worried glances, he continued, "Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem. Atlas is going to be on high alert after the last attack, and Vacuo is—well, Vacuo. It'll be hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to fight against other thieves and scoundrels.

"Take that, add in the fact that Cinder and her crew claim to be from Haven, and I think it's likely the next target." He sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot, these days. "So, we're on our way to the headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. I'm hoping he has the answers."

With that, Qrow stood with a groan, his hand going to the wound on his stomach. "Alright, I think it's time you kids got some sleep."

"Uncle Qrow?"

He turned to his niece. "Yeah?"

Ruby stood up slowly, looking down. "This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but…" She looked back up. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help, because I trust you." Her voice became plaintive, searching for an explanation. "But why couldn't you trust _me_? Why couldn't you just travel with us, instead of this secrecy, and, and—"

"Look, this has nothing to do with trust," he replied. "I—It's a long story, okay?"

"Seriously?" Nora said. "_Now _you're tired of telling us stories?"

Qrow gazed into the dancing flames for a long moment. Well, he hadn't meant for them to know, but he supposed it would help explain things. At the very least, it would make Jaune more trusting of him.

Softly, almost meekly, he murmured, "Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name." He knelt to stoke the fire with a stray stick. "See, some people can absorb electricity, and some people can burst into rose petals, and some people are just… born unlucky.

"My Semblance… isn't like most. It's not exactly something I _do._" His voice was slightly forlorn as he said, "It's always, there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune." He gave a rueful chuckle. "I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends…" he stared at his niece. "And family."

Slowly, he stood, arm still held over his bandage. Jaune stared at him, seeming disdainful. "Well, you are just a real bundle of help, aren't you?"

Too tired to come up with some retort, Qrow merely said, "Yeah," as he walked away from the campfire.

"Where are you going?" Ren asked after him.

"Taking a walk," he replied as he limped along.

"There's nothing else you want to tell us?" Ruby asked expectantly.

Qrow's side throbbed, the burning sensation growing despite the alcohol. As such, it took him a moment to realize that the caw he heard wasn't in his head. He glanced to the side, where the raven sat watching him with her beady red eyes, head cocked to the side. No. They didn't need to know everything yet. "Not tonight," he replied.

With a short tumble, the log Qrow had poked in the campfire fell out of place, sending up a quiet shower of sparks as the four friends watched him go.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

"Ugh!" Blake groaned sharply, now outside on the porch with Sun. She slapped him twice sharply across the face. "No concept of privacy, no respect for personal space!"

"I'm sorry, okay?! Ow! I'm sorry!" he protested, his hand gingerly going to feel where he'd been slapped.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed again, turning away from him in anger. She only stopped walking when he said, "Look, I promise it was important! I needed to talk to you!"

"What, Sun?" she asked in frustration as she turned back to him. "What could be so important?!"

"I was talking to your mom and she said something weird about the White Fang!" Sun began, but Blake help up a finger as her brow clenched in anger.

"I'm stopping you right there," she said as she started towards him.

"But—"

"I _told _you," she cut him off, "I'm not here to fight the White Fang, I'm not here to fight anyone! I'm here to rest, to figure things out, and to see my family."

Sun paused for a moment, then went on with a pointed finger for emphasis, "Your mom said White Fang members _don't _wear masks in Menagerie. But I saw one in the market yesterday! I even have a picture!" He began to pull out his Scroll, tapping buttons.

"Sun!"

"Look, I'm trying to help!"

"I don't want your help!" she replied sharply as she snatched the Scroll from his hands and tossed it over the balcony and into the trees.

Sun fixed Blake with an angry stare and a growl, but any words either of them were prepared to say were suddenly cut off as the sound of the Scroll landing out among the leaves was followed by the soft but noticeable gasp of a woman. Both of them turned and stared into the dark vegetation, eyes narrowed as they searched for the source of the noise.

Blake suddenly gasped as she picked out amid the shadows the shape of a black figure with a white, horned Grimm mask kneeling atop a palm tree and observing them. Realizing that she'd been spotted, the figure leaped up and away into the night, a long, curvy ponytail trailing behind her as she was momentarily silhouetted against the moon.

"A freaking ninja?!" Sun cried in surprise, hands thrown wide.

"A spy!" Blake corrected as she stared after the figure.

"But why would—hey wait!" Sun cried as Blake suddenly jumped off of the porch and sprinted into the trees after the mysterious woman.

From around the corner, alerted by his cries, Kali appeared at Sun's side, eyes wide in concern. "What's happened?"

Sun began to back towards the railing as he hurriedly cried, "The White Fang is evil, I totally called it, and I'm bringing your daughter back!" With that hectic message, he jumped down over the railing and took off after his friend into the trees, leaving Kali behind to stare after them with a hand held to her mouth in worry.

* * *

**Near Former Settlement Oniyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

The fire had all but burned out during the night, and now, birds chirped across the pink morning sky. RNJR had slept fitfully, what sleep they did manage to capture littered with dreams of what Qrow had shared with them. Reluctantly, Ren roused himself and sat up in his sleeping bag. Qrow had slept against a tree at the edge of the camp, leaving the four teens to sleep around the campfire.

Ren sighed. "We should probably get moving."

Jaune sat up beside him. "Yeah, yeah."

However, the boys both turned at the sound of a wet, hacking cough from the base of the nearby tree. Immediately, Ruby and Nora were both sitting up, and Ruby hurried over to her uncle's side as his coughing worsened. Ruby looked down at his bandage, alarmed to see a large, purple stain had appeared on it throughout the night. Qrow put a hand up to his mouth, covering it as he hacked. With a groan, the coughing subsided, and Qrow pulled his hand away, only subtly surprised to feel a sticky purple substance coating his palm and fingers.

At the sight, Ruby's silver eyes went wide, a horrified gasp escaping her lips.

Qrow gazed at his hand for moment longer, then managed to looked wryly up at his niece. "Well," he rasped out, "that's unfortunate." With that, his purple-stained hand fell to his side limply and his eyelids drooped, a final exhale escaping his lips as he faded from consciousness.


	54. Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

**Chapter Nine: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back**

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

Yang held her hands at the ready, batting away her father's punches before she spun around and launched a wide kick at him. Taiyang stretched back, his feet in a wide lunge as he leaned back and avoided her foot's arc, before he came back in with a quick but forceful punch. Yang crossed her arms in a block, catching the fist even as it forced her back a few feet in a slide.

From the sidelines, Zwei sat happily and watched his owners at work, panting as his head tilted back and forth to watch the fight. His ears perked up as Tai suddenly mimicked Yang's move with a kick of his own. Yang blocked the spinning leg with her crossed arms, then thrust them out. Tai used the momentum to flip in the air, but even as his feet hit the ground, Yang was on him, unleashing a powerful blow with her metallic right arm with a mighty cry.

Now it was Tai who slid back, holding his right arm as he stared at his daughter in pained surprise. "Woah!" he cried. "That thing packs a punch!"

Yang met his gaze with a confident smile. "We've been at this for weeks. I get it, you wanna make sure I can still fight." She banged both fists together in front of her cockily. "I think I'm doing just fine."

Taiyang straightened up. "You're close," he mused as he approached her and walked around her in a circle.

"Oh, really?

"You're still off balance."

"What? No I'm not!" Yang protested, but Tai merely chuckled a bit as he came to a stop a few feet away. She lifted the metal arm up a bit, studying the fingers as they gleamed in the sun. "Honestly, I'm kind of surprised." She smiled. "I thought it would just be this huge weight, but it feels… natural. They did a great job with this thing."

Abruptly, a fist to her face cut her off as Tai came in with a sneaky attack as she grunted in surprise. Reacting quickly, she brought up her arm to block his other fist as he struck again, spinning with the second blow for an elbow. Taiyang caught it with a grin, the smirk persisting as he deflected a series of kicks to his torso and two quick punches, before he lunged forward and grabbed the metal arm. He thrust his own elbow forward, leaning into her as she blocked while simultaneously pulling her right, metal arm forward, leaving her to balance precariously in his grasp.

"I wasn't talking about your _actual _balance."

With a quick sweep of his leg, Tai dumped Yang to the ground, leaving her there as he walked over to the small wooden stool that sat beside Zwei, upon which two white towels rested. Zwei obediently grabbed one with his mouth and extended it to his master with a wagging tail, and Tai gratefully accepted it with a fond ruby of the corgi's head. "Although," he said over his shoulder, "could use some work too."

Behind him, still on the ground where she had fallen, Yang let out a short sigh before she asked in annoyance, "Meaning?"

As he towelled off, Tai turned back to her. "I saw your tournament fights. During the Vytal Festival."

"Let me guess." Her tone turned mocking. "'I was sloppy.'"

He chuckled a little again as he said, "No, no, you were predictable. And… stubborn. And, maybe a little boneheaded." Yang sat up and looked at him before Tai continued, more seriously, "Do you realize that you used your Semblance to win every fight after the qualifiers?"

She spun on the ground to face away from him. "So what? How is me using my Semblance any different than someone using theirs?"

Tai tossed his towel to the ground beside him as he began to approach her. "Because not everyone else's is basically a temper tantrum." She didn't look up at him, and this time, he let out a full laugh as he came to a crouch by her side. "I'm serious! Once you take damage, you can dish it back twice as hard, but that doesn't make you invincible." She looked at him as he continued, "It's great when you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? What happens if they're stronger? What then? Now you're just weak and tired!"

Zwei came close to them and sat down watching as Tai paused, then went on, "You've always been one to burn brighter than everyone else, whether it was with your smile, or," he grinned as a memory of a young girl with flashing lilac eyes running away from him and a pair of scissors sprang to mind, "well, I remember your first haircut."

Playfully, he tugged on her golden hair, pulled up in a ponytail, and she batted him away with a smile. He chuckled again and stood, walking over to a large tree that cast a shadow against the hot sun. He took a moment to become serious again before he said "But you gotta keep your emotions in check. Keep a level head, and think before you act. Your Semblance is a great fallback, but you can't let yourself rely on it." His head dipped a bit. "It won't always save you." He stared at the ground. "Obviously."

There was a long moment of silence before he inhaled slowly and said, "You definitely have your mom's stubbornness."

Zwei watched their conversation as he had watched their training, his head moving back and forth between them as the spoke. Yang perked up at the words. "Oh, so now we can talk about her?"

Tai had his back to her, facing the tree, and he put a hand on the old wooden trunk as he replied, "Well, as I have been informed, you're an adult now, remember?"

She looked away. "Well, sorry I remind you of her."

"Don't be."

His reply was so soft that she took a moment to realize he had spoken and look back his way. He still had his back to her, but the smile she couldn't see was wistful on his face. "Raven was great in so many ways - her strength, her ambition, her dedication to whatever cause she thought was worth fighting for." He turned back towards her, and now she saw the smile, warm and kind. "I'm proud of how much of her I see in you. _But,_ I'm glad I don't see all of her in you."

"Why?"

Tai took a moment to respond, seeming to edit his reply in his head with a sigh. "Your mother was… a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart. And, it did a real number on our family." He pointed at Zwei, who was panting happily between them. "You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. But if you just take a sec and look, then maybe you see…" he walked towards her, stepping around the dog as he did. Zwei's head followed his motion as Tai finished, "There's a way around as well."

Yang remained quiet, staring into her lap, before he extended a hand towards her. "Come on. One more before dinner."

With a pull, Tai tugged his daughter to her feet, and the duo immediately began circling each other, arms held up in a defensive position. Tai came in first with two quick punches and a kick. Yang blocked both blows and leaned back to avoid the kick, cartwheeling away as he flipped in the air and kicked again. Yang dashed forward, blocking a fresh punch before she rolled beneath another kick and came to rest a few feet away. Quickly, she lunged back in, and their arms locked together in a standoff as they leaned into each other, each with their left hand holding the other's right elbow at bay.

As they strained, Tai said, "Heh, see? Alright! Now you're using your head instead of your– whoa!"

Yang grinned imperceptibly as she reached out with her front leg, copying her father's earlier move as she swept his leg out from under him. However, she caught his hand as he fell, the only thing keeping him from falling to the dirt. Tai looked up at her with a small, approving, "Hmm," and she smiled down at him. _My point._

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

It had been two days since the party, and Weiss had left her room only for the most necessary of matters. She didn't want to depart from her private sanctum for a second as she practiced for hours on end, building her strength as she tried to cast the Summoning glyph. She had done it during the party, when her adrenaline was at a high and she was confused and disorganized. If she could manage it while calm and collected… she stared at the picture of the White Knight on the far wall, remembering the metallic might of the Arma Gigas.

Myrtenaster's tip glowing with blue energy, she spun once, then dropped to a knee and planted the metal in the ground with a _ting_. The now-familiar white glyph winked into existence, slowly spinning under her command. Weiss held her eyes tightly closed, concentrating on the glyph even as a small wind emanated from the rotating emblem. White energy began to appear, the beginnings of the broadsword's handle forming, when a voice grated against her ears and broke her concentration. "Hello, sister."

Whitley stood against the doorframe of her room, leaning back and watching her with disdainful eyes. Her concentration shattered, the sword behaved likewise, disappearing into a hundred small fragments as the Summoning glyph faded away.

Weiss sighed. She knew she should have locked the door. "Leave," she demanded curtly, barely even glancing at her brother.

"How hurtful," Whitley replied, his voice dripping with condescension. "And here I am, about to offer you a favor." Weiss stood, removing her sword from the ground, as the thin boy continued, "Father's taking me to town to introduce me to some of his business partners. I'd thought I'd see if you wanted me to pick up anything since you're… well, stuck here."

She waited a moment after he spoke. "Are you jealous? Is that it?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he blinked. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Is that why you hate me? Are you jealous of my abilities? Of Winter's?"

He straightened from his spot leaning against the door, his hand going to his chin in what seemed to be genuine thought. After a moment, Whitley replied, "No, not really. Honestly, I find it barbaric. It's beneath people like me. Like Father. What could a single Huntsman possibly do that an army cannot? That's why we have one…" He looked down for a moment in derision. "Even if it is run by a fool."

Even if Weiss hadn't wanted to throw him out before, hearing him refer to the General, the man who had stood up for her in the midst of the crowd of pompous socialites, in such a way caused her to tighten her grip on her rapier as she repeated through pursed lips, "I said, _leave_."

"Fine, fine," he said, putting his hands up in bored surrender. "I've got better things to do." He turned in the doorway, beginning to walk back into the hallway. "Enjoy your training, however pointless it is." He paused with his hand on the doorknob, ready to close it behind him. "What _is _your plan, anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while trapped in your own bedroom?"

In answer, a black glyph hummed to life on the interior doorknob and flung the heavy wood shut in his face.

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster, her sole friend in the house apart from Klein, and sighed, before resuming her Summoning position. Slowly, as her concentration was restored, the white glyph shimmered back to life on the floor. Her rapier hed vertically in front of her face, Weiss once again felt her gaze drawn to the portrait of the armor on the wall. Steeling herself, Weiss twirled as she had before and pierced the ground with her sword once more.

The glyph suddenly grew larger and spun more rapidly at her feet, beginning to build a blinding light as a tremor shook the room. The books on a nearby shelf rattled against the wood, one even falling out onto the floor from the shaking. Still, Weiss remained in her position, eyes tight in concentration. Whitley's visit had awoken something inside of her, a small, burning sensation. A seed of anger.

Weiss focused on the seed. It made sense. Winter had once told her that her emotions could grant her strength, but that she couldn't allow herself to be controlled by them. At the party, she'd been overwhelmed, and as a result, her Semblance went berserk, running amok without her guidance. Here, now, if she focused on that one, small piece of emotion…

Weiss felt the connection internally a moment before the wind whipped up fiercely and burst through her room's window with a loud crash, the light from the glyph shining with such intensity that she shielded her eyes with her arm. Once the overpowering glow subsided, she lowered her arm and took in the sight of her creation.

At once, the door to her room was pushed open, slamming loudly as Klein rushed in with urgent concern on his face. "Miss Schnee! Are you alright?!" he cried as he entered, but as his eyes settled upon the space before Weiss, he fell silent, his gaze widening in surprised awe.

Weiss allowed herself a small smile to the butler as she turned back and followed his eyes. Before her, steaming with the white energy of her Semblance, stood the Arma Gigas, pale blue-white and wielding its massive sword. Unlike the last time she had seen it, it's segmented armor glowed pure white, and it stood at attention, it's right hand resting on the sword, which was buried in the ground. Absently, she replied "Yes" to Klein's worried inquiry as the dazzling giant, over double her height, fell to one knee and bowed its head in subservience.

Weiss stared out the window, still smiling as she felt the crisp air of Atlas whistle in and revitalize her skin with a chill that wasn't unpleasant. "Klein, I need a favor."

Even through his shock, Klein managed to understand the sentence, and as he watched her staring intently out the window he gave her a simple, determined nod, needing no words to understand her desire.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

The shadowy figure was quick as she jumped from tree to tree, but Blake was still in hot pursuit, only a few trees behind the spy. The woman paused ahead in a beam of moonlight as she looked back at Blake, for a moment illuminating herself. She appeared to be wearing a skintight, black leather stealth suit with an assortment of small golden buckles and zippers, with a white and red Grimm mask, indicative of the White Fang, on her face. Similar to Adam's, it was a half mask, exposing the woman's mouth, but it seemed to be personalized with a set of gray horns that protruded from above the eyeslits. The strangest thing about the spy's appearance, however, was her skin, which blended in with the darkness. It was pure, obsidian black in the moonlight, and it covered her from head to toe.

A rustle above stirred the woman from her thoughts, and even as she looked up, Sun appeared above her with a cry of "Gotcha!" as he sprang down from above. However, the mystery woman quickly dodged him and sprang away through the trees, making for the rooftops of Kuo Kuana.

"Hey, wait up!" Sun called to Blake as she sprang ahead, who shouted back, "Don't let her out of your sight!"

Quickly, Blake burst from the leaves of the palm forest after the spy, who was a running silhouette in the moonlight as she dashed across the rooftops ahead of Blake. Eventually, the two girls came to a set of pipes, the spy sliding smoothly under them with Blake close behind. As the Belladonna girl came close, the spy's skin changed, revealing her Faunus trait as her skin color shifted from midnight black to normal like a chameleon's. Quickly, the spy withdrew her weapon, a strange, segmented rapier that narrowed like a horn at the end. With a quick flick of the wrist, the weapon's blade suddenly stretched out like an energy whip and sliced through the pipes in warning.

Blake slid through the cloud of steam the breached pipes released, standing to coldly regard the other girl. "Why are you watching me?"

Without answering, the spy lowered her weapon carefully, seemingly considering her options, before a thud on the rooftop behind her signalled Sun's arrival and she spun towards him.

"Give it up!" Sun ordered, hands raised. "I'm not above hitting a girl, you kno—ah!"

The light whip snapped forward like a snake where his head had been as he cried out and fell down to avoid the attack. In the moment of distraction, however, Blake dashed forward, her eyes fixed on the girl's other hand, tightly clenching a Scroll. With a quick kick, Blake thrust the Scroll from the girl's hand. Recovering quickly, the White Fang spy thrust out with a kick of her own that forced Blake back, then turned quickly to recover the Scroll before being tackled to the ground by Sun. The Scroll landed at the corner of the roof as they struggled.

"Grab the Scroll!" Sun cried to Blake. "Seems _someone _thinks it's important!"

"Get off!" the girl beneath him shouted with a headbutt, the plastic mask cracking from the impact as Sun fell back. Quickly, the spy stood, her cracked mask revealing her left eye, and raced for the Scroll against Blake, before a team of golden light clones suddenly tackled her again. Blake stopped and looked to Sun, who had assumed his Semblance position with his hands clasped before him.

"Quit staring and grab it!" he barked at her, straining to maintain so many clones at once. However, quickly overcome, Sun fell to his knees, his Aura spent, and the light clones disappeared, leaving the girl to rise to her feet and level the sword in her hand threateningly at Blake.

"Blake, watch out!" Sun cried from the ground as his friend scooped up the Scroll, Blake turned and met the weapon's point head on, her gaze narrowing and ears curling as the rest of the ruined Grimm mask crumbled from the girl's face and she grimaced.

Blake's voice held deadly familiarity. "Ilia."

Between the two girls to the side, Sun slowly go to his feet. "Wait, you know her?!" he cried. "But she doesn't even look like a F—agh!" His words ended in a cry as Ilia spun on him in rage, her whip striking him in the shoulder with an electrical burst as her skin flowed red from the intensity of her emotions.

"_Sun!_" Blake cried in alarm as she saw her friend fall.

"Give it to me!" Ilia demanded in a low, threatening voice as she refocused on Blake.

Blake turned back to the other Faunus, glaring. "No."

Ilia stared at her, her red skin and yellow hair, changing to green and blue respectively in apprehension as she backed away a step and shook her head. "You _shouldn't _have come back." With that, the chameleon girl swung her sword at the rooftop, kicking up a cloud of dust to mask her departure. When the dust cleared before Blake's eyes, Ilia was gone.

Instantly, Blake ran to Sun, who lay on the ground unconscious as a red flower of blood stained his white coat on the left shoulder. "Sun! Sun!" she cried out. "No no no, not again, please!" she begged to the wind, her voice thick with tears. "Help!" she cried out over Kuo Kuana. "Somebody!" Sun's head moved to the side with a small groan as she stared down at him. "Hold on, Sun," she said softly, pressing her hands to his wound beneath the glowing moon. "Just hold on."

* * *

**Mistralian Countryside, Kingdom of Mistral**

"Just hold on, Uncle Qrow," Ruby huffed as she walked forward, beginning to feel the fatigue that had set in over the past several hours truly take its toll. After Qrow had collapsed against the tree that morning, she had been hysterical, pleading with Ren to try and do something until Jaune calmed her down, saying there would be nothing Ren could do and that Qrow's best chance was for them to set out at once back on the road towards Mistral. So the team had hastily packed camp, set up a makeshift stretcher from someone's sleeping bag and a couple of sturdy branches, and walked through the forest until they found the nearest path and set off.

That had been hours ago. Now, it was early afternoon, and bleak gray clouds had accumulated overhead during their journey. Ruby carried the stretcher from the front, Jaune at the rear, both of them tired from the weight of Qrow. Nora came behind them with Magnhild held at the ready, warily watching the few dead trees around them for any sign of an attacker. Their encounter with Tyrian at Oniyuri had put them all on edge, and they couldn't risk not being ready when they were this vulnerable. Ren headed their desperate little band, being the most experienced with nature and navigation as he tried to tell if they were going the right way.

Qrow had been going in and out of lucidity since he had been loaded onto the stretcher, groaning and muttering to whatever phantoms his subconscious could see. Currently, he seemed asleep, tortured by a dream as he muttered, "Tai. She's not… coming… Tai!" He fell back into another coughing fit, remaining silent at it's conclusion as Jaune observed bleakly, "He's getting worse."

"How much farther?" Ruby called up to Ren. Behind her, Nora added, "We've gotta be close."

Ren turned over his shoulder. "Without the map, there's no way of knowing. But I feel like we're close to something." He didn't mention that the same feeling he'd had as they entered Oniyuri had returned in the pit of his stomach.

He stopped for a moment as he noticed a fork in the road ahead, sheathing Storm Flower at his side as he went to investigate. "What is it?" Ruby asked from behind. Ren looked at a large wooden post standing at the fork. A wooden arrow pointed behind them, the name reading _Oniyuri. _Two more signs extended towards the right side of the fork, reading _Kuchinashi _and _Mistral_. The path lead up into the mountains, while the one on the left stayed flat. The last sign pointed to the left path and read _Kuroyuri, _but the name had been crossed out with a deep _x _in the wood.

Ren didn't let it show on his face, but his blood turned to ice. _No…_

Nora came up beside him, her face lighting up in a smile as she saw the first sign. "Hey, hey!" she cried, pointing to the sign. "Mistral! We're on the right path!" However, upon noticing the sign of reading _Kuroyuri, _her face suddenly fell and she looked reflexively towards Ren. "Oh…"

"Does it say how close?" Ruby called, voice rising again in slight panic.

"No," Ren replied stoically. "And it looks like the path takes us up through the mountains."

Ruby and Jaune knelt to set the stretcher gently on the ground. Jaune looked at Qrow, laying in feeble sleep on the fabric. "Guys, I don't know if all of us can make that climb."

Ruby cast a worried glance upon her uncle before she ran up to the sign. Noticing the flat ground to the left, she pointed up at the wood. "Okay. Well, what about this place? Kuro… Kuroyuri? Can we get help there?" Jaune joined them at the post.

Ren glanced at the ground, hands balling into fists. "That village was destroyed years ago." Keeping his voice level was a challenge.

"But if it takes us around the mountains," Jaune said, "it's the best bet we've got."

"It will take to long," Ren replied sharply, hoping Jaune would hear the edge in his voice.

"The town would have had a doctor, right?" Ruby appeared desperate. "Maybe we could scavenge for medicine!"

"Right!"

Ren bowed his head and shut his eyes with a firm shake. "We're not going to find anything! We just have to press on!"

Ruby and Jaune stared at him in silence, surprised at his abnormal vehemence. Ruby's hands clasped in front of her chest as she stared at him and Jaune asked, "Ren, why are you acting—"

"We can split up," said Nora, who had been silent at Ren's side during the entire exchange.

Ruby's silver gaze shifted to her. "Huh?"

Nora put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Ren and I can cut through the mountains while you and Ruby take Qrow around through the village."

Jaune was immediately opposed to the plan. No, we're supposed to stick together. We keep each other safe!"

"We don't have time for safe!" Nora replied. "If we make it to Mistral, we'll bring back help. If we don't, we'll at least have a better view of the land! Up there, we can see if there's somewhere else we can go!"

Ren turned and gazed at Nora, his expression appreciative, and she replied with a sympathetic smile. Everyone was quiet as they considered the choice, before Qrow's wet cough behind them reminded them that there was no time to waste.

Reluctantly, Jaune looked around at his friends and said, "Okay." He stepped forward to Ren, who had become his brother, and embraced him in a firm hug. "Just take care of each other," he softly ordered in an emotional whisper, his mind flashing to the last time he'd split up from a member of his team.

Nora soothed him. "We always have," she said, smiling at Ren.

Jaune and Ruby quickly moved to retrieve Qrow's stretcher, nodding to Nora and Ren as they started down the path. Nora waved back to them, then ran after Ren as they took off towards the mountains. Jaune and Ruby continued down the path towards Kuroyuri and whatever it had in store for them, carrying the incapacitated Qrow between them.

"They're gonna be fine, Jaune," Ruby said firmly in comfort, trying a smile.

Jaune's head was low, an image of emerald green eyes outside the metal slats of a locker playing through his mind. "You don't know that."

Ruby's face fell as she went silent, understanding too well that he was right. Neither of the teens noticed, as they walked, the large hoofprint in the dirt of the path beneath them, left by something far bigger than both of them… and far more deadly.

**Author's Note: Just wanted to take this time to apologize for something you may have noticed. I wrote this fic originally on Google Docs, and there would be an occasional stubbornness to the program that kept me from keeping some paragraphs together, instead splitting them up awkwardly mid-sentence. Again, I'm sorry, but I copy and pasted these docs here, and I really don't feel like skimming each and every one to fix every incorrect paragraph break. Sorry again! - Jek**


	55. Kuroyuri

**Chapter Ten: Kuroyuri**

**Mistralian Countryside, Kingdom of Mistral**

"_I'm sorry._"

Most of the morning, Ozpin had been relatively quiet, leaving Oscar in a much welcome time of peaceful silence as he packed his things. Even so, everything Ozpin had been telling him in the previous weeks had washed over him at once, and it had been a long time before the farmboy approached his bag on his bed, packed with meager necessities, and then slipped quietly from the house to the world outside.

After Oscar had shouted Ozpin away before supper a few weeks prior, the Voice had given him a few days to calm down before it began its needling again. By then, it was becoming far too apparent to Oscar that this was more than a hallucination. He couldn't quite explain it even to himself, but within him, a spark had begun to ignite, an inexplicable need to escape his home and go on the move that brewed within him.

He had thought back to his many mornings gazing at distant, snow-capped mountains and all of the wistful desires he had had of life beyond his aunt's farm. Now, here he was, with someone offering him the opportunity to fulfill his dream. Not many people could say the same.

Still, it was with some hesitancy, and much prodding and pleading from Ozpin, that Oscar had finally acceded to the Voice's request. Quietly, so as not to wake his aunt, Oscar had packed up his things in a large backpack and sneaked away, and it was now, when he was out on the dirt paths leading to a nearby train station, that Ozpin spoke to him.

Oscar replied softly, "You know… the weirdest part is how it feels. Leaving home is crazy. Going to the city is crazy. Everything you've told me is completely crazy." He gave a slight pause. "But it doesn't _feel _crazy anymore. It feels like I'm doing the right thing."

Ozpin sounded thoughtful a moment later when he responded, "_Well… I suppose that's good._"

"No." Oscar stared at the winding path ahead of him, knowing that this was merely the humble beginning of a long and harrowing journey that wouldn't end with him reaching Mistral. "It's scary."

Overhead, thunder rumbled in the distance, prompting Oscar to quicken his steps down the path towards the station.

* * *

Although the thundering downpour obscured any hint of the sun in the sky, it was

nearly noon by the time Oscar had reached the small building that waited along the rails. Lightning flashed in the sky every few moments, and thunder drummed on not far behind it. Oscar's short black hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain, his clothing soaked as he finally dashed under the overhang of the train station and hurried over to a ticket dispenser.

There were no other people around that Oscar could see, probably held off from the rain, and a stopped locomotive rested on one of the tracks. The glowing blue screen lit up the boy's face, the words _Welcome! Scan Lien to begin_ flashing to life on its surface. Oscar withdrew a Lien card from his pocket and held it up to the sensor, but the machine immediately flashed read and displayed a new message.

_ERROR. Unable to complete request. REASON GIVEN: Insufficient Funds (Code: 726)_

Oscar sighed. "Stupid thing." To his mental companion, he said, "I'm assuming whatever weird magic this is _doesn't _come with an infinite supply of money?"

Ozpin chuckled slightly. "_I'm afraid you'll have to solve this one on your own_." However, a moment later, Ozpin's voice returned, now serious and hushed. "_Be on your guard._"

Confused, Oscar replied, "What do you mean?"

Momentarily, his question was answered as a deep voice from his left said, "Here." Oscar turned towards the voice to see a tall, burly man approaching him from the rain. The man wore a dark, olive coat over simple black clothing and towered over Oscar in stature. A trimmed beard matched his dark eyes, and he carried an air of silent menace around him as he walked up the machine and raised a large, meaty fist. Oscar ducked away with a frightened gasp, but the man's hand came down on top of the machine with a loud bang. Immediately, the ticket dispenser whirred and spat a ticket out onto the ground as Oscar stared at the fist in trepidation.

The large man turned and walked back out into the rain, leaving Oscar behind as he bent to scoop up the small scrap of paper, never taking his eyes off of the large man. Inexplicably, a sense of dread had filled the boy the minute the man had approached him, and he nearly flinched as the man paused and looked back at him over his shoulder. The deep voice growled out, "Don't let such a small obstacle block your path." With those parting words, he continued, walking into the rain to some unknown destination.

"That man," Oscar murmured. "I felt… Who is he?" In the distance, a train horn sounded.

Oscar may not have known who Hazel Rainhart was, but Ozpin's voice held unmistakable familiarity as he replied, "_Someone from my past. Someone who should not be taken lightly_."

On the other set of tracks, the train that had whistled whizzed by them, coming as quickly as it went as Oscar settled in to wait for his own departure, unsettled by his unexpected meeting.

* * *

**Former Settlement Kuroyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

Ruby and Jaune paused as they came to a ruined stone arch that might have once been a welcoming sight. "Oh, man," the blond boy murmured as they both took in the devastation before them.

If Oniyuri had been wrecked, Kuroyuri had been devastated. Unlike the large, abandoned city, Kuroyuri had clearly suffered a horrifying attack. There wasn't a single building that wasn't cracked, broken, or blackened from fire damage. Rubble was strewn randomly around the village, and at the entrance, a collapsed sign bearing the settlement's name was their welcome to the ruined community. The gray sky overhead did little to comfort the two friends.

Although she shared Jaune's sentiments, Ruby quietly said, "Come on." With that small urging, the two entered, Qrow being silent for the moment between them. As they walked deeper into the village, the uneasy feeling that rose from the silence was almost palpable in the air. As much to hear her own voice as to ask the question, Ruby asked, "Any of these places look like a pharmacy?"

Jaune took a moment before replying, "It's… honestly hard to tell." He stared at a small, abandoned bicycle that lay rusted upon a pile of debris, likely once a child's.

"Ren really didn't want to come here, did he?"

"Uh… didn't seem so."

Ruby looked back at him. "Do you know… why?"

Jaune's head was bowed as he sighed. Ren had rarely discussed his or Nora's past before coming to Beacon, but the bits and pieces the blond boy had been able to pick up combined with the decimated town around them painted the picture vividly. "I think I have a pretty good idea…"

* * *

**THEN… **

Lie Ren smiled as he knelt beside the small, man-made stream of Kuroyuri. He had spied a beautiful waterlily in full pink blossom. The sky was a crisp, crystalline blue above him, and it reflected in the stream radiantly.

From the side, he heard his mother laugh as she came out from their house, a small basket over her arm. "Why hello, little Lie." She noticed him kneeling next to the stream. "Are we trying to catch a fish?"

Ren pointed to the gentle plant resting on the water's surface. "I found a flower on the water!"

An Ren smiled at her son. "Oh, I see!"

Ren hurried over to her, an eager smile on his own face. His mother was dressed similarly to him, a green dress ending at her feet highlighted with spots of deep magenta on her sleeves. Her dusky rose hair was short, tied in a bun behind her, and her pink eyes flashed mirthfully down at her son. Excited by his find, Ren asked his mother, "Can we take it home and plant it in the garden?"

With a gentle frown, An replied, "Oh, no, sweetheart, that flower lives here."

Ren looked down at his feet, disappointed, but his mother rubbed his own hair, also held up in a bun, a moment later with a smile. "But I'll tell you what you can do." He looked up as she withdrew some money from within her sleeve. "Take this Lien and go find something nice for your father's return. He's been hunting for quite some time. I bet the journey's been very tiring, don't you?"

The young boy accepted the Lien. "Yes."

"Do you think you'll know what he wants?" his mother asked.

Ren thought for a moment, then grinned. "I think… he wants a water flower in the garden!"

An chuckled at that and gave him a playful spank. "Why did you have to inherit my sass?" Ren giggled as he ran away, across the small wooden bridged that extended over the creek towards the market in the center of town, his mother watching him go with a fond smile.

Ren ran into the marketplace and looked around at the people milling about, glancing around at several small booths before he spied the weapons stand. His father always liked a good knife. The boy dashed up to the man working the stand and extended his Lien as he asked, "What can I buy with this?"

The man looked at him and chuckled. "Well, something just your size," he replied as he ducked under the counter and emerged with a pair of wooden toy weapons, a sword and a hammer.

Ren, however, gave a disappointed groan. Of course, he was too young to buy an actual weapon. However, he spied a different type of stand across the street with a short line. Quickly, the boy hopped behind a man and waited for his turn. When the man left, Ren stepped forward and offered his Lien. "Sake, please."

The liquor merchant looked down at the young boy and gave a slight sigh of annoyance as he shook his head. Ren groaned again, once more unable to buy something for his father.

Dejected by his failure, Ren walked down the main street of town until a pleasant scent caught his attention and drew him towards the bakery window. Several frosted treats looked back at him from behind the glass, and Ren smiled. Finally, something he could buy for his father!

"Hey, get back here!"

Ren was stirred from his thoughts by a cry from around the corner. It had been an older boy, shouting at someone. As he approached the corner, laughter carried around from the alleyway. Ren peeked around the edge and spied a group of kids standing in a circle. Quietly, he crept further until he was in the entrance to the alley and could see the full scene.

Three boys were standing in front of another kid, a young girl, who was crouched down low in front of them. All of the boys were laughing at her, and she looked back at them warily. Bright cyan eyes stared back at them as they mocked her from behind dirty orange hair, smudged like her face with grime. Her clothes, a small brown jacket, rolled up pink pants, scuffed and worn sneakers, and a white shirt with a pink heart on it, were equally filthy. In her hands she clutched a loaf of bread as she cowered away from the bullying boys.

"Where'd you get that bread?" the tallest of the bullies was saying. "I didn't see you pay for it, thief!"

"No, look, it's all moldy!" said the shortest.

The first laughed. "I think she got it from the trash!"

"Let me see!" the third said, reaching towards the girl. In response, she drew back and snapped at him, biting his finger. "Ah, she bit me!" he cried, holding his hand. The tall boy looked at him in surprise before the one who'd been bitten pushed the girl down in anger. The girl let out a small whimper as she fell to the ground, but she scrambled to her feet and leaped atop the loaf, which she had dropped, then cowered from the bullies again as their ridicule continued.

"Where'd she come from?"

"She's dressed all weird!"

"I bet she's abandoned! Like a dog or something!"

"Does that mean I have rabies?" asked the one who'd been bitten.

Ren had been silently moving forward, unsure of exactly what he planned to do but wanting to help the bullied girl. She watched him intently as he moved, staring at him with wide eyes. However, noticing her gaze, the boys stopped laughing and turned, catching sight of Ren. Ren panicked, backing away quickly before he turned to run, his eyes never leaving the bullies until he ran into something that knocked him to the ground.

Ren pushed himself up and took in the sight of a man towering over him. The man was dressed in a deep green tunic that opened at his waist to reveal long black pants and leather sandals. The tunic was sleeveless, ending in gold highlights at the shoulders, where the white sleeves of his undershirt extended to his wrists. His left hand wore an archer's glove, typical of Kuroyuri's hunters, and his sharp black goatee and ponytailed hair showed slight, peppered streaks of gray as he gazed sternly at the group of boys at the end of the alleyway.

Slightly dazed from running into the man's legs, Ren looked up in surprise. "Father?"

Li Ren surveyed the scene, his expression bordering on outrage. "What is happening here?" he demanded in anger.

The bullies froze for a moment, and the young girl took the opportunity, tripping over herself with a cry as she fled down the alley and disappeared around the corner. A moment later, the bullies followed her example, turning and running down a different sidestreet.

The elder Ren watched them go, then looked down at his son. "Do you wish to run with the rest of them?" he asked, motioning in the direction the boys had run. Ren, who had been looking into his father's eyes, lowered his head in shame.

Li went down on one knee beside his son and placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice serious but teaching. "Sometimes the worst action to take… is taking no action at all." He paused to let the information sink in, then gave a silent sigh. "Go home." He stood. "I need to speak with the mayor."

Ren watched his father go, turning after a moment to stare down the alley after the direction the bullied girl had fled.

* * *

**NOW…**

Jaune walked up to Ruby from behind, his inspection of the latest ruined building concluded. "Nothing." They had been looking for an hour, but if they'd come across Kuroyuri's infirmary or hospital, it had been far too damaged for them to tell.

Ruby turned back towards the center of the town. "We should get back to Qrow."

They walked in silence to the large, dead sakura tree where they had left her uncle. Qrow remained propped up against the tree, still unconscious and groaning every few moments as Ruby knelt down beside him, a hand held to his bandaged wound. The bandages were still stained purple from whatever Tyrian's venom was doing to Qrow's body, and all that Ruby could do was kneel beside her uncle in worry as Jaune watched over them.

A lonely howling sound echoed out from the dead forests around Kuroyuri, prompting Jaune to turn towards the noise, his hand tightening on Crocea Mors' handle. Ruby had looked up with him, but she reassured him, "It's far off."

"I know," he replied, not turning around, "but Ren and Nora are still out there."

Sadly, Ruby looked down at her unconscious uncle and stood, eyes downcast in self-contempt as she approached Jaune from behind. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Surprised, he turned, and she didn't meet his eyes.

"This is all my fault." She shook her head dejectedly. "I should have never dragged you guys into this."

Jaune didn't smile, but his face softened as he stepped towards her. "You didn't drag us in. We wanted to come."

Ruby turned towards Qrow. "But you didn't know about Tyrian, about—"

"Ruby." Something in his voice made her pause, and she turned back to face him. "We lost…" He trailed off, his own gaze dropping as he continued, "We lost Pyrrha. You lost her, too. And Penny, and your team, and," he looked back up at her, "in a way, your sister.

"But you're still here. Despite everything you've lost, and everything you could still lose, you _chose _to come out here. Because you felt like you could make a difference." She looked up at him, blinking rapidly, and he smiled. She had been his first real friend, and he wanted her to know that he was here for her. "You didn't drag us along." He placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "You gave us the courage to follow you." Her head dipped a bit and she closed her eyes, a grateful smile gracing her lips as she looked back at him, the words in her silver eyes saying more than her voice ever could.

* * *

**THEN… **

Ren gasped himself awake, looking around his room for what had awoken him. However, everything appeared quiet, and it took his sleep-dulled senses a moment to register that something didn't feel right.

His door opened quickly as his mother rushed in. "Lie, get up!" she said to him, fear written on her face. "We have to go."

Slow to process her voice, Ren drowsily said, "Mother?" as An hurried towards him and urged him, "Now, right now, okay? Let's go!" She grabbed him by the wrist, Ren only distantly registering that the belltower was ringing its alarm signal as they ran into the kitchen. The front door burst open as they entered, his father staggering in with his bow in hand as he breathed heavily.

"Li!" his mother said in concern.

"An, what are you doing?" Li replied. "We need to hurry!"

"We can get to safehouse!" An said, her hand clutching tightly to Ren's.

"No," her husband replied in a low voice. "I saw the beast. We need a Huntsman. And you two need to leave."

"What?!"

Everyone was silent as, on the other side of the village, an otherworldly, hellish shriek split the air. Ren's flesh crawled as he recognized it as the sound that had jolted him from his sleep, and he looked up to An in fright and pressed closed. "Mother!" he whimpered fearfully.

An knelt down beside her son and looked him in the eye, her smile reassuring. "It's okay, darling. Everything's okay—"

The creature, whatever it was, roared again, this time much closer, and the ceiling above his mother shattered violently. The last thing Ren saw before something hit him hard in the back of his head was An smiling at him…

When he awoke, people were screaming around him, and he felt himself being carried. In his ear, his father was panting as he ran with Ren in his arms, and all around, the sounds of chaos were evident. Ren slowly blinked his eyes open, his head thudding with the footfalls on the cobbled streets. Disoriented, he looked to Li. "Father? What… where's Mother?"

Li didn't reply, a cut above his left eye streaming red into his vision as he ran. Ren began to panic in his arms. "What's going on?!" the boy cried. "Where's Mother?!"

Behind them, the glowing of fire yet unseen illuminated the walls of untouched buildings, and a large plume of smoke billowed into the sky as the other villagers ran away in horror like a stampede of cattle. Li tripped with a grunt as the ground shuttered from a distant explosion, spilling Ren to the ground. "Father!" the boy cried in alarm.

Li Ren groaned as he pushed himself up on his arms, the crowd running by them

paying little heed to the fallen father and son. The man looked to Ren. "Lie," he rasped, "you have to run!"

Ren crawled to his father's side, placing a pleading hand on his knee. "No, no please! Get up!" he begged, before the shriek split the air again. Ren turned and gazed into the smoke, watching as the shadowy shape of a horseman and rider with glowing red eyes prowled through the fiery cloud, towering over the terrified villagers.

"Listen to me, son." Li said urgently, drawing Ren's attention back. "You have to be brave now." He gasped sharply in pain, likely from a cracked rib when he'd fallen. "Do you understand?"

"No, please, please, I can't!" Ren pleaded, shaking his head as he cried.

"Yes, you can!" Li told him, taking a small knife from its sheath on his belt and thrusting it into his son's hand, before he shoved Ren back with the other and collapsed to the pavement. Ren fell back as the hand pushed him, clutching the knife in his fist. Li stared into his son's eyes. "Take action, son." Gasping in pain still and clutching to his side, the father rose to his feet and looked down at his son. "Your mother and I love you."

Ren's eyes brimmed with fresh tears. "Father…"

Beside them, a large, hoofed foot slammed into the street, splitting rock as the creature glared at them both. Li turned and readied his bow, reaching behind him into his quiver for his final three arrows as he coughed out, "Go!" He aimed the first arrow at the beast and let it fly. "Run!"

Ren obeyed, gasping in fear as he left his father behind. He could hear his father's defiant cry ringing behind him as he loosed his last arrow at the Grimm, then fled to a large arch that led to a wood bridge over the main river of the town. Ren quickly jumped down beside the steps leading to the river's edge, hiding beside some boxes. Overhead, new shrieks were joining in with the cacophony of havok, and as Ren peeked over the edge of the ridge, he watched a flock of large Nevermores begin circling the destroyed village, splitting the air with their fearsome screeches.

Somehow, through the madness, a soft, fearful sobbing reached Ren's ears, and he looked to the right and was shocked to see the same girl he had seen earlier the day, taking refuge beneath a building and cowering in terror. A Nevermore landed on a house near her shelter and screamed into the air, dangerously close to finding her.

Ren looked to the left, saw the hulking shape through the smoke that his father had saved him from, and began to cry himself, alone and scared on the edge of the river and wishing for his mother's arms. The shrieks of Grimm sounded again as he continued to sob, not knowing what to do.

_Take action, son._

Ren felt something pass over him, a strange shimmer of energy, and all of a sudden, he was calm, his tears drying as he stared at the girl beneath the building. With no hesitation, Ren leaped from his hiding spot and dashed towards the building, crouching as he slipped under it beside her.

"Hey!" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder with a smile. The girl looked at him with a scared gasp, but quieted as she recognized him. "We have to be brave," he told her. The Nevermore near them crawled over to their building and shrieked as its head neared the ground as if smelling for a scent of them.

The girl, terrified, whimpered and threw herself into Ren. Surprised at first, Ren melted into the embrace, pulling his arms around her in comfort as he felt the shimmer go through him again and now into her. Beside them, the Nevermore's beaked head ducked down, but its cry was less sure, confused. Where a moment before it had sensed terror, it now could feel nothing, no negative emotion emanating from beneath the house. The bird righted and flapped its wings, deciding to pursue the other, departing prey, and flew away, leaving Ren and his new friend alone beneath the house.

As the girl receded from Ren's arms, thundering footsteps made them both turn to see the beast from earlier nearing the house. The horse's feet stopped as it neared them, and a long, black arm that dragged on the ground at the creature's side twitched its fingers slightly, before the Grimm moved on.

When there was no other sound that fire raging, Ren knew they were alone. The girl looked at him and said in a small, shaking voice, "I'm scared!"

"Me too," he replied, trying to keep his own voice steady for her benefit. He looked to the side and saw a familiar shape on the ground, the wooden hammer the shopkeeper had offered him earlier, abandoned where it had fallen. Ren began to crawl towards it, but the girl pulled him back with a frightened whimper.

"It's okay," he reassured her. After a moment, she released his arm and let him crawl to the edge of the house, snatching the hammer away before he returned to her side. Extending the wooden tool, he reassured her, "We'll keep each other safe."

The girl stared at the hammer with big eyes before she hesitantly accepted the gift, staring down at it.

"What's your name?"

She looked up at him, her turquoise eyes brightening, and for the first time since the moment he'd first seen her, she smiled. "Nora."

He smiled back at her. "My name's Lie Ren."

* * *

**NOW… **

The wind grew fiercer the higher they climbed, and as Ren surveyed the way ahead, it seemed they would only be going higher.

"We never get the easy path, do we?" he asked Nora as she came up behind him.

Grinning, she put her hands up behind her head and stretched. "Easy's no fun anyway." She turned and looked at him, more serious. "You okay?"

"Mmm," he nodded. "And you?"

She blushed slightly as she smiled. "I've got you here, don't I?" She motioned forward and started walking. "Come on. There's more than one way up a mountain."

Ren watched her for a moment before he smiled as well. However, his serious demeanor returned when thunder rumbled around them and he looked up to study the gray clouds overhead.

"Hey!" came Nora's cry from ahead. "There's wind blowing out of this cave!" She stood to the side of the path, pointing to a gaping hole in the massive rock wall draped by moss. Ren caught up to her and peered in with her, watching as a few leaves blew out towards them. "Think it might lead to the peak?" Nora asked.

"I suppose there's only one way to find ou—ah!" He fumbled for a moment as a large scrap of fabric blew out from within and caught him in the face. Nora giggled as she watched his struggle. "Yes, yes," he said good naturedly. "Very funny." He looked down at the fabric and froze. There, emblazoned on the scrap, was a black marking. A familiar black marking. He searched his memory for where he'd seen the shape before.

Nora glanced at his silence. "Hey, what's wrong?"

In that instant, the memory clicked. "This is the symbol for Shion Village."

"Shion?" she repeated. "But that's… that's the village where we found the Huntsman. It's weeks away from here!"

Ren thought back to the village, remembering the large footprint he had found there. Without a word, he dashed into the darkness. "Ren? Wait!" Nora cried from behind him, hurrying in after him. He stopped suddenly, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness as he looked around. When Nora caught up and found what he was staring at, she whispered a shocked, horrified, "Oh my gosh!"

The interior of the cave seemed to be a nest of some sort for some large, wild beast. Littered around the area were weapons: swords, axes, staffs, and numerous others that were strewn randomly around the cavern. Blackish ichor stained the ground in several dry puddles, and the smell of death was overpowering. Ren walked forward and knelt as something caught his eye. His hands dipped to the packed dirt and retrieved an old arrow, dirty but still as fine as the day his father had made it. He looked back at Nora, but her gaze was caught by something else.

Following her eyes, Ren felt his heart stop as he took in the sight of the familiar hoofprint stamped into the ground, wet with fresh ichor. The print pointed away from them, towards a second opening in the rock, another entrance to the cave.

Ren and Nora ran to the opening and stared out at the forests beneath them. Trees shifted, shaking free leaves, as something massive made its way through the woods with purposeful direction. Ren followed the shifting branches as his stomach dropped, dread building in his soul as he watched the unseen creature lumber its way towards the ruined settlement of Kuroyuri in the distance. "No…"

Nora's welcome hand slipped into his as they both watched for a moment in horror, wincing as the shriek from Ren's nightmares split the sky.


	56. Taking Control

**Chapter Eleven: Taking Control**

**Salem's Fortress, Unknown Realm**

Flashes of golden fire leaped from Cinder's fingers, slicing through any of the Grimm that attacked. She was breathing heavily, still not used to the effort of using her powers after being wounded.

They had been training for over a month now, Salem providing her with fresh Grimm day after day in order for the Fall Maiden to hone her powers. She had yet to recover her voice, but her strength was slowly returning, and soon, she would be back at full capacity and ready to hunt down the insolent little girl that had stolen her eye.

For now, however, Cinder's rage for Ruby Rose boiled beneath the surface, forcing her to settle her frustrations with the Grimm. Currently, four Beowolves circled her, snarling and preparing to strike. Before they could make a move, however, Cinder slashed an arm out, releasing a wave of Maiden fire that cut through the Grimm like clay and disintegrated them instantly in clouds of black.

However, the session had been going on for a long time today, and Cinder's strength was waning. The effort of this latest blast left her panting as her head bowed. She had little time to rest as rapid, heavy footsteps rushed at her from the side and she looked up with a surprised cry to see a gorilla-like Beringel leap at her with its fists raised. Face twisted in fury, she thrust a fist forward, searing a hole in the creature's core.

Again, though, the effort of the attack overwhelmed her, and her good eye rolled up in her head in fatigue as she fell to her knees, chest heaving with rasping breaths.

"Enough," came the harsh voice of her mistress as Salem approached from the side. Rather than being pleased at Cinder's progress, Salem sounded cold and dissatisfied as she continued in a patronizing tone, "I thought you were the girl that wanted power." Her voice rose in anger. "Did you lie to me?"

Cinder winced away from the question, stung by the heat. As if pushing her harder would hone Cinder into a fine-edged weapon, Salem seemed to never give her a moment of credit, always pointing out the flaws. It worked. Fiery anger at the eldritch being welled in Cinder's spirit, but she held it down, reserving it for the next Grimm. Instead, she made an extra effort to control her breathing and faced Salem, shaking her head silently.

Salem's cruel frown didn't change. "Then stop holding back." She paused, seeming to regard Cinder for a moment. "If you wish to master your new powers, you must–"

She fell silent at the sound of a door at the far end of the hall being opened. Salem and Cinder both turned to see who the new arrival was, Cinder standing from her kneeling position and gazing down the hallway in shock at the sight before her.

Whimpering sobs of barely contained terror escaped the lips of Tyrian Callows as he slowly entered the room like a disobedient child before a parent. What shocked Cinder was the sight of his Faunus tail trailing behind him like a headless snake, absent of its stinger. As the door slammed shut behind him, closing the chamber to the outside world, Tyrian fell to his own knees, his hands splayed on the ground in meek subservience. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He raised a hand to his chin. "She'll forgive me." He bowed back to the floor. "Pleeeeease, forgive me…"

"Tyrian!" Salem called in welcome, striding over to his bowed form with a neutral expression. "Your task," she said as she stretched out an arm. "Were you successful?"

The Faunus man looked like a lost dog as he hesitated a moment before bowing his head and replying, "N-no."

Cinder gazed at him, her eyes widening in a mix of renewed shock and horror. Tyrian had never failed an assignment from Salem before, no matter how difficult. She had battled him herself before becoming the Fall Maiden, and she would admit, albeit begrudgingly, that he was a formidable opponent. Salem had seen him fit to track down the Spring Maiden. The former students should have been child's play to someone of his caliber, and yet here he stood before them, maimed and unsuccessful.

If the answer surprised Salem, she didn't let it show, merely dropping her hands to clasp behind her back as she began to circle her kneeling underling and walk towards the door through which he'd entered. Tyrian, sensing rather than seeing her ire, desperately blustered on, "But–but hope i-is not lost!" He stretched out his hands to her as if reaching for a lifeline as he went on, "My tail, my stinger, I-I poisoned him—Qrow!" He allowed himself an evil chuckle as he said, "He will not be a nuisance for you any longer, no… no longer! I've done that!" Seeking any sign of approval, he asked, "H-h-h-have I done well? Have I pleased you?"

Salem didn't look back at him, stopping slightly as she looked up thoughtfully. "The last eye is blinded…" she mused. Glancing back at him over her shoulder, she finally decreed, "You disappoint me." With that, she turned and walked away into the darkness of the hallway, leaving Cinder to watch Tyrian as the man broke down.

It started as a tremor in his voice, a small whimper of despair, but then Tyrian fell forward onto his hands as he let out a long, desolate wail, like the howl of a wounded animal. He sobbed, convulsing with the knowledge that he had failed his goddess as he brought his hands to his face in shame.

Behind him, sensing his sorrow, the last remaining Beowolf from Cinder's training eyed him hungrily, reading itself to pounce. With a roar, the Grimm launched itself in the air at the sobbing man, prepared to devour him as Cinder watched. However, it was Tyrian's own snarling roar that sent the chill down the Fall Maiden's spine as he spun, tears streaming, towards the Beowolf.

Despite lacking its stinger, Tyrian's tail was still a viable and effective club, and he swung it with rage-fueled force at the Beowolf, knocking it to the side. Still wailing, the maimed Faunus opened his pincer claw gauntlets and sprang atop the beast, landing on its midsection. Like a man possessed, Tyrian began stabbing the unfortunate Grimm in the chest over and over again, venting his anger on the creature. The Beowolf let out a dying whine as it fell limp, but that only seemed to fuel Tyrian's rage as he began snarling, savagely slashing across the Grimm's body as he wept.

It was when his tortured cries first began to slip into insane laughter that Cinder took a cautious step backwards. Tyrian continued with his carnage, his laughter growing and his tongue lolling out in mindbroken glee as he slashed and stabbed and sliced through the dark flesh. Cinder looked on in horrified awe, watching as Tyrian attacked the corpse again and again, his laughter echoing off of the high glass ceiling of the training hall to embed itself in her memory and haunt her nightmares for weeks to come.

* * *

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

Yang shook the can one more time and added a final coat of yellow spray, then looked down, admiring her handiwork. Her remaining gauntlet of Ember Celica and her synthetic arm lay before her, both painted over in a fresh coat of bright yellow. They gleamed in the sun, the heat already beginning to dry the wet paint.

Once the paint was finally dry, Yang reattached her arm and went to the shed that she hadn't set foot in since her return to Patch. Her eyes settled on the familiar, cloth-covered shape of an old friend as she opened the door, and she walked over the small vehicle. Waving the tarp away, Yang gazed at her most prized possession, her motorcycle Bumblebee. She had brought it with her to Vale when she was accepted into Beacon, but after the Fall, Qrow had managed to find it and bring it back in an effort to lift her spirits. It hadn't helped at the time, but she reminded herself to thank him when she saw him again.

"I don't remember saying that you were ready," came the voice of her father from behind, echoing off of the low wooden ceiling.

Yang grinned. Always overprotective. "Oh yeah? You gonna try and stop me?"

Taiyang, leaning against the doorframe, put a hand to his shoulder and chuckled. "No. I think I'm still to sore after our last fight. I just wanted a better goodbye than a letter." His smile dropped as he continued, "And, I also have a question for you." Yang turned to face him. "Where are you going?"

"What do you mean?"

He stepped towards her. "Well, despite asking him numerous times not to, I know that Qrow told you where your mother's been at these days." He paused, staring at the floor for a moment. "I know how much you wanna see her. I've stopped you in the past, but I won't anymore.

"And we both read the note," he went on. "We know your sister's headed to Mistral." Yang turned and looked at Bumblebee behind her. "So, _where _are you going?" her dad asked again.

Yang looked thoughtfully at Bumblebee for a second more, then met Taiyang's eyes, her own narrowing in determination as she made up her mind.

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

Weiss peered cautiously out of her bedroom, making sure that the hallway was clear of any passing household staff. When she was sure she was alone, she stepped out into the hallway, closing her door as softly as she could behind her with a foot, as her arms were occupied with Myrtenaster in one hand and a suitcase of Dust vials in the other.

Her heels clicked loudly on the floor, and she winced at the sound. She'd tried to find a quieter pair of shoes, but it seemed that a lifetime of growing up in the Schnee household hadn't exactly caused need for stealthy footwear. What she wouldn't give right now for Ruby's simple black and red boots.

Weiss turned, ready to make her escape, and jumped back with a gasp as she almost ran into Klein, who had appeared behind her with no warning. He put a finger silently to his mustached lips with a smile, then whispered, "Let's go."

Following Klein, Weiss stayed in the center of the hallways as they walked, her heels thankfully muffled by the blue carpet. She followed him down the long staircase, flanked on either side by bowing white knights. They were halfway down another hall when Klein's Scroll vibrated in his pocket. The butler retrieved it and held it to his ear. "Master Whitley! I… umm… yes, of course. I'll be just a moment."

Tucking the Scroll back in his pocket, Klein turned to Weiss and quickly but quietly instructed, "Head to the first floor library. I'll meet you there."

With a short nod, Weiss agreed and watched him as he walked back down the hallway. When she had asked him for help in escaping the manor, Klein had readily agreed, but he had told her to leave all the planning to him, meaning she didn't know exactly how she was going to escape. All she could do right now was obey his instructions and pray she didn't get caught.

Weiss was tiptoeing past her father's office when the sound of a glass crashing from within put her on alert, and she shrank down beside a cushioned chair outside the door to hide and listened.

Inside, she heard General Ironwood's voice angrily arguing with her father. "You need to control yourself!"

"You're talking to me about control?" Jacques replied incredulously. "Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"I am basing everything on my reports from _your _daughter!"

"A daughter you stole!" Jacques angrily retorted.

Sounding fed up, Ironwood replied, "Oh, we are not getting into that again." Weiss crept closer to the door to listen.

"Oh, yes," her father shot back, "we have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy!"

"_Jacques!_" Ironwood spat harshly, causing Weiss to wince.

Inside the office, Ironwood was leaning over Jacques' desk, looming over the other man, who eyed him warily from his seated position. Ironwood gave a deep sigh in an effort to calm himself. "Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral then I am not going to take that news lightly." Weiss smiled internally. It was good to hear that officially confirmed. Winter had mentioned before boarding her aircraft at the Vytal Festival that she would be on assignment in Mistral in the coming months, but Weiss had been unsure as to whether or not she would still be there. Now she knew, and if she could get to Mistral and find Winter, she would be safe with her sister until she could figure out her next step. Heedless of her plan, Ironwood went on, "She's been there for weeks. People are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Sust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust _Leo _to stop them."

Weiss thought for a moment. The only "Leo" of note she could think of in Mistral was the Headmaster of Haven Academy, Leonardo Lionheart. She listened closer as her father continued, "You've never trusted anyone other than yourself!"

"_And for good reason!_"

Weiss covered her mouth at the General's shout; she assumed he must have slammed a fist on something, because a sound like a gunshot had rang out in the silence. Inside, Ironwood had indeed slammed his fist, hard enough to crack the wood slightly with his enhanced cybernetic arm. "If Oz had just listened to me from the start…" The General trailed off.

Of all things, Jacques was the one to remain cool and rational. "You need to get a grip."

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Ironwood replied evenly. "Our people need protection. By this time next week the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders." He rose to his full height, staring down at Jacques. "No one in, no one out. Without the council's permission."

Jacques read the internal meaning of the words. "You mean, without _your _permission." He leaned back in his chair as Ironwood leaned forward again, slightly threatening.

"And if that becomes the case," the General said, "I would think you'd want to be on my good side." With that, he departed, turning to the door to leave Jacques sighing at his desk with his hands typically folded.

Weiss heard the approaching footsteps and moved quickly, standing up before the door and leveling Myrtenaster at the knob, casting a black glyph around the handle. Inside, Ironwood twisted the handle, but it refused to budge. "It's locked," he said, turning to Jacques.

"What are you talking about?" the businessman said, leaning forwards. Ironwood began slamming his shoulder against the wood, trying to budge it, but the door stayed fast. Weiss left the slamming behind her, quickly making her way to the library to meet Klein.

Once inside the library, she glanced desperately around at the shelves full of books. There was no one else in the room. "Klein! Klein, where are you?"

Behind her, suddenly, a hidden door behind a shelf in the corner opened up, revealing the stout butler standing there waiting for her.

Eyes red and voice gruff, Klein quieted her, "Keep your voice down, I told you I'd be here."

Weiss rushed over to him, dropping her weapon and case and pulling the man into a hug. Klein hugged her back, protectively, and asked in a softer voice and with his normal, golden-brown eyes, "Are you sure Mistral is safe?"

Out of habit, she stepped back and clasped her hands before her. "No, but it's where I'll find Winter."

"I suppose she'll be the only family you have left after tonight," he mused.

Weiss put a hand on his shoulder with a smile, and he blushed bashfully as she said, "I'll always have you."

He looked up to her with a firm smile. "You most certainly will."

From outside, in the hallway corridor, the sound of wood splintering reached them, and they both turned as they heard her father's muffled voice cry into the hallway, "Klein?! Klein, get down here this instant!"

The butler motioned towards the secret passage. "Go, now."

Quickly, Weiss gathered her things and stepped through the door, pausing to cast one final smile upon her friend. "Thank you, Klein."

With a nod, Klein shut the door behind her, leaving her in the dimly lit passage. Weiss turned and frowned. She had meant what she said about Klein being her family. Klein knew as well as she did that if her father discovered what the butler had done for her, he would certainly be fired.

Shaking her head from the thought, Weiss began walking down the passageway, searching for the end where a door would be waiting to help her finally escape from her father for good.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

The muffled sound of birds calling outside reached his ears first, stirring him from his sleep. He heard a soft scratch, as if someone had shifted in a chair, and blearily, Sun opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was shirtless, his white coat missing and nowhere to be seen. The second thing he noticed was the throbbing pain that emanated from a decent-sized patch on his shoulder as he blinked his eyes against the light. Next, he realized that he was laid out on a small, comfy couch next to a coffee table. Finally, he saw that he wasn't alone. He gave a slight groan as he shifted on the couch. "Blake?"

At first, he thought she was asleep with the way her head bowed over her lap and she remained silent for several moments before answering. For some reason, in that moment, he was struck by how beautiful she was, her eyes obscured by her raven hair as it cascaded down around her face, her cat ears curled slightly atop her head, porcelain hands folded simply in her lap. Finally, she spoke.

"This… is why, Sun." She took another, long moment. "This is why I left them all behind." She looked over at him sharply.

"What are you…" he began, sitting up stiffly. "Wait, where am I?"

In the moment it took him to realize he was laying on the small couch in Ghira's study, Blake had risen to her feet, walking to the foot of the couch. "I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me."

"Blake…"

"_Shut up._" He recoiled slightly from her hostility, but his expression, somehow concerned for _her_ of all things, didn't change. "Do you think I like being alone?" she asked him. "Every day… every day I think about them! Ruby, Weiss, Yang…" Her voice trembled on the final name, and she steeled herself before continuing, "They were my friends! I loved them like I never thought I could love anybody." She looked away. "And I hope they hate me for leaving."

"You don't mean that," he began, reaching towards her, before she harshly silenced him again, forcing him to draw back.

"_Yes I do!_" She put a hand to her head as she sat down at the foot of the couch. "Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can't. You saw Ilia last night, and she's not even the worst!" She shook her head. "No. No more. They're better of without me. I made my choices and I'll deal with the consequences because they belong to _me._"

He was surprisingly quick to answer, if a bit hoarse. "You think you're being selfless, but you're not." She turned towards him. _That _had not been what she was expecting. His gaze was firm and sincere as he said, "Yeah, that chameleon friend of yours got me pretty good. But I'd do it all again if it meant protecting you." After a moment, he added, "And I can promise, Yang would say the same."

She looked away from him, hearing his voice strain with discomfort as he moved to sit up with his legs hanging off the couch, hands on his thighs as he looked at her intently. "You can make your own choices, sure. But you don't get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it's because we want to." His next words were an order. "So _stop pushing us out!_" She stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words, as he gazed down at his hands. "It hurts more than anything the bad guys could ever do to us."

After a moment, he looked back up at her, noticing her face had fallen again, and grinned slightly, the familiar levity creeping back into his voice. "But, if it makes you feel any better, the next time I go up against Lizard Girl, it won't be for you. It'll be to get even!" He gave her a thumbs up, but winced as he raised his shoulder too far and grabbed it with a sharp groan.

Despite herself, Blake laughed, the smile remaining on her lips. "My hero."

Abruptly, behind them, there was a loud bang as the door to the office once again

collapsed inwards, this time with Kali landing atop it. Standing behind her was Ghira, looking down at her with a disdainful hand on his hip at her fumbling recovery. "Oh, oh dear! Would you look at that, he's awake!" Kali cried. "Thank goodness!"

Ghira put an exasperated hand to his forehead. "Kali, please."

"Mom!" Blake cried, embarrassed. Behind her, Sun smiled and waved. "Hey, Mrs. B!"

"What are you doing?" Blake demanded as she approached her mother.

"Well, sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the two of you," Kali replied with an awkward smile."

Blake looked past her to her father. "Huh?"

Kali and Ghira quickly stepped in, Kali handing Sun his coat, washed of bloodstains and patched where Ilia's blade had pierced it. As he slipped the coat back on, Ghira set the Scroll the two friends had recovered from the chameleon spy the night before on the coffee table, his face grim. "I'm afraid you were right to be suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

Ghira looked severely at them. "Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang, and stage a full-scale attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again."

Blake and Sun both bowed their heads, their memories flashing back to that horrible night. "Not if we destroy the White Fang," Sun said resolutely, "once and for all."

"No."

He glanced at Blake in surprise, who stood tall from the couch and cast a determined look around her to her family and friend. "We're not going to destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back."

* * *

**Former Settlement Kuroyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

Ren was breathing hard as he sprinted through the destroyed streets of Kuroyuri. Behind him, Nora was keeping pace, both of them racing to reach their friends in time. "Not again," Ren pleaded between breaths, "not again…"

Passing through the central arch leading to the town square, the most likely place Ruby and Jaune would have gone, Ren double over, regaining his breath. Nora, still a bit juiced up from the blast Ruby had given her during their fight with Tyrian, had barely been winded by the long run down the mountain and into town and came to a stop beside him. As Ren stood from his stooped posture, he practically melted in relief. There by the large tree he remembered from his boyhood stood Ruby and Jaune, unharmed. Qrow lay propped against the trunk, moving slightly.

Hearing their approaching footsteps, the other two turned to face Nora and Ren, Jaune's hand resting alertly on his sword's hilt.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ruby asked in surprise, eyes wide with concern.

Referring to the shriek that had sounded when Ren and Nora were still on the mountain a few minutes before, Jaune called, "Did you hear that noise? What _was _that?!"

Ren fell to his knees, eyes widening in helpless terror. For a moment, he was a boy again, peering at a dark shape through a column of smoke as he hid beneath the bridge's arch. "No…"

"Ren! What is it?!" Ruby cried in alarm.

Nearby, just about to round the corner, Ren heard the steady _clop-clop _of heavy hooves on cobblestone. Jaune picked up on it as well. "Wait, do you guys hear that?"

Weakly, as if saying it would make it so, Ren bowed his head and murmured, "No…"

The hooves stopped. Nora's voice, a terrified whisper of recognition. "Ren?"

Slowly, denying it until the last moment, Ren lifted his gaze and took in the horror before him.

The creature faced them down, bones protruding from the horse's mouth in stark contrast to the black flesh and the red glow that emanated from its maw. From its nostrils, it exhaled a thin, steady stream of black smoke, its feet stamping impatiently into the ground. The horse alone towered over the four teens, but the true horror lay in the protrusion that sprouted from its back. As if growing out from the horse's spine, a sleek black torso stretched upwards, with two large, bony plates covering its pectoral region. The arms were long and trailed down to the ground like limp noodles, each ending in two white-clawed fingers.

Arrows and various weapons protruded from the back of the torso, which was slumped over the horse. Slowly, it rose into the air and presented its nightmarish visage for view, showing a pair white horns sprouting from its forehead and soulless red eyes that glowed like pinpricks. The mouth, a wide, glowing red chasm, was held together by various strips of black flesh that stretched between the lips, giving the monster the appearance that its mouth was partially sewn shut.

Head twitching spastically, the Nuckelavee Grimm gazed at the group of young Huntsmen and Huntressess and roared.


	57. No Safe Haven

**Chapter Twelve: No Safe Haven**

**Former Settlement Kuroyuri, Kingdom of Mistral**

Ruby, Jaune, and Nora were all thrown back against the ground. Each of them slid a decent distance, Nora bouncing a couple of times, before coming to a stop next to the dead tree and unconscious Qrow. Only Ren was nimble enough to catch himself as he flew through the air, landing on one hand and managing to right himself on his feet as he came too a stop beside them. As one, Team RNJR looked forward in trepidation as the thing that had thrown them back emerged from a cloud of dust, sent up by shattered buildings smashed during the brief opening skirmish of the fight.

The horse slowly _clopped _out into view, steaming dark smoke from its mouth and nose, while the body of the rider hung limp over the side, its arms trailing when not in use. The horse stopped at some command from the rider, staring at them with eyes of burning coal.

On the ground, a black finger twitched once, then twice, the hand, if it could be called that, trembling as the torso contorted upwards, its arms spasming erratically as the mouth of the rider loosed its horrid, earsplitting shriek. The thing's head dipped down, as if its white horns were a heavy weight, then rapidly shifted up, studying its prey intently with small twitches of its head. However, upon seeing an easier target propped up unconscious against a tree, the Nuckelavee began moving forward.

Jaune noticed the creature's shift in focus and reacted instantly, sheathing Crocea Mors' sword as he sprinted to Qrow's side. As it came forward, the Grimm thrust its arm at the blond boy, the long, thin limb stretching as it closed the gap. Jaune hurdled the deadly grasping hand and rolled into a run, making it to Qrow's side and hoisting the semilucid man to his feet. However, his gaze turned fearful as the horseman bore down upon him, ready to strike.

Even as Jaune knew he couldn't move in time, Ren glanced at Nora in a split second moment of wordless communication. Instantly, Ren placed his hand on the ground, the energy of his Semblance glowing at his fingertips. Jaune watched in surprise as the Nuckelavee pulled up short right in front of him as he felt a surge of strange energy flicker across himself and Qrow. The Grimm looked down at them, puzzled that the fear it had sensed only moments before seemed to have vanished. Jaune kept his eye on the beast as he glanced over at Ren.

"Just get him to safety!" the other boy ordered with a shout. Quickly, Jaune complied, walking a limping Qrow alongside him as fast as they could move while a bombardment of pink grenades from Nora's weapon rocked the Nuckelavee and drew its attention away from the departing Jaune. Feeling the glow of energy from Ren fade as they walked, Jaune ushered Qrow around the corner of a nearby alley and gently set him down next to a house. Qrow groaned slightly, a hand still clutching at his midsection. Jaune looked down at him for a moment, then turned to go help his friends just as a hand caught his own. He looked down in surprise to see Qrow staring severely at him, clutching his wrist with a vice. The older Huntsman seemed about to say something, but he faded from consciousness before he could get it out with a moan. Jaune had seen the look in Qrow's eyes, however, and it had gotten the message across. _Take care of Ruby for me._ Jaune may not have liked Qrow, but he could honor that request. With a final glance at the wounded man, Jaune slipped his hand free of Qrow's and ran back around the corner into the fray.

Ruby leaped high as she positioned Crescent Rose beneath her, propelling herself up with a blast before she was yanked from the air by the long arms and slammed into the ground. Nora ran to her to help before she too was pinned by the black flesh. However, the Nuckelavee retracted its grip as a rapid blast of fire from Storm Flower hit its back and it turned to confront Ren at its rear. Ren ran around the Grimm in a wide circle as he blasted away, but the rider stretched its arms out again and grabbed his pistols, silencing his fire.

Jaune, who had watched this as he rejoined the fight, cried, "Guys! Keep moving, go in a circle!" He began to mimic Ren's strategy, and a blast from Magnhild freed Ren's pistols to do the same. The girls followed suit, everyone running in a wide circle around the Nuckelavee and peppering it with fire. It stretched out its arms occasionally with an agitated roar to try and pluck one from the air, but the teens were too quick, leaping nimbly over each thrusting appendage. Jaune darted in quickly as he spied an opening and made a powerful slash to one of the horse's hindlegs, but it merely gave an annoyed snort and kicked him away with its hooves.

Jaune tumbled back beside Ruby, who stopped as she noticed his determined stare. Unexpectedly, Jaune sheathed his sword. "What are you doing?" Ruby cried in surprise.

He didn't answer, instead gripping the handle two-handed as he swung the entire sheathed weapon upward. A small button near the hilt transformed the sheath, extending the bronze lining of the shield into a two-pronged, sharp edge that gave Jaune a large, hefty broadsword.

Ruby grinned. It was the modifications Jaune had made at the village after they'd defeated the Geist weeks before. Jaune dashed back in as Ruby opened fire again, causing the horse to rear up with a whinny at the distraction. Jaune took the opportunity again, this time slashing with the heavy broadsword, accentuated by Pyrrha's metal, deep into the back leg of the horse. The metal drew a satisfying cloud of black smoke from the wound as the beast sprang back in surprised pain.

The horse had roared from the unexpected strike, and the rider seemed to stare at Jaune for a moment as if making sure that _he _had been the one to injure its mount. Undeterred, Jaune bared his teeth and stared right back. Accepting his challenge, the rider drew its arms in around itself, then spun spinelessly around in a circle on the horse's back as it threw its arms wide. The limbs struck each of the teens like a tornado, flinging them clear and giving the Nuckelavee a short reprieve.

The beast quickly drew its tentacle-like arms back into itself, jerking as the sharp bones along its spine suddenly lengthened. Angered by Jaune's attack, the beast let out a loud roar, completely tearing the skin binding its lips together as it let out its most terrible shriek yet that forced Jaune and Ruby to both cover their ears.

Ren took the moment of the shriek and used it to his advantage, leaping to the top of the dead tree in the center of the square and opening fire on the back before the rider could target someone else. At the spray of Dust, the rider turned, quicker than it had before, and launched an arm at him. Ren jumped to get clear, but the creature was too quick for him, shooting his backwards through the air and pinning him to a building.

As the beast reared back with its other hand to crush Ren's trapped body, Nora turned to her friend. "Ruby!" With a nod, Ruby spun her weapon. Nora leaped atop the blade of Crescent Rose as Ruby fired, launching her at high velocity towards Ren as the creature thrust its other arm forward.

Ren saw a flash of pink before he covered his face from the blow and heard a loud crash. When he opened his eyes and realized he hadn't been crushed, he looked around and caught sight of Nora above him, her hammer's head caught in the beast's other grip as she dangled from it.

Nora, catching his gaze, pulled her skirt closer and blushed. "Stop looking!"

Ren let out an embarrassed groan and looked away, still pinned to the wall.

The Nuckelavee paid no mind to their shared embarrassment and jerkily twitched again, pulling Nora free of the building as she dangled from Magnhild. Violently, the rider slammed Nora to the ground twice, the force depleting her Aura in a pink shimmer as she fell away with a pained cry.

Ren, seeing her fall to the ground, dug the blades of his weapons into the beast's hands and fired at its wrist, pushing with all his strength against the appendage before he felt himself fall free to the ground. Jaune had attacked the creature at the same moment, stealing its concentration. Ren bounced up and charged forward with a raged cry, dodging the arm as it came in for a second attack. Ren felt his most basic of primal instincts awaken, a red haze falling across his vision as his eyes went wild and he sprinted forward to attack the beast.

However, the second arm shot forward and caught him in the face, knocking him back. Undeterred, Ren recklessly charged forward again with a cry, leaving both arms behind him.

"Ren! Knock it off!" Jaune shouted at him, but the other boy could barely understand over his own enraged shouting. Like snakes, the arms behind him retracted suddenly, catching him by the ankles and slinging him around the village too as it battered him along the ground. Ren felt Storm Flower leave his grip and clatter away before he was flung beside Nora, feeling his own Aura crack and fade with a shimmer.

Nora rose behind him and watched as Ren slowly did the same, obviously weakened but still enraged and staring at the Grimm. The horse stomped its feet in challenge, preparing to charge. Ren stood unsteadily as the beast began forward, but Nora tackled him from the side to hide under a building.

For a moment, there was quiet, and the two friends were surprised by the lack of noise. Ren expected the house to shatter under the beast's charge any moment, but it never did. Quickly, the boy moved to peek out from beneath the house, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Jaune standing there before them, leaning forwards with all his strength as he held the Grimm at bay with his sword. Its weight eventually overcame him, the forelimbs of the horse pushing him down to the ground, but a shot from behind by Ruby distracted the monster before it could attack him.

As the Nuckelavee's arms shot forward and attempted to pluck Ruby from the air, a feat made difficult by her Semblance, Ren strained forward to get back into the fight. However, a tug at his wrist stopped him, Nora keeping him in place beneath the building.

"Nora, let go!" he said. She didn't reply; her grip didn't falter. "Nora!" he said louder. "They're going to get hurt if we don't—" He turned to confront her but was silenced as she slapped him in the face, her head held down. Surprised, Ren paused, looking at her and waiting for her to speak. She released his arm, but he didn't go, instead watching as her hands fell in her lap. The sounds of the battle became faint behind them as she finally spoke.

"No," she said quietly. "I won't let you kill yourself like this. After everything we've been through, I won't let it end."

She looked up, and Ren started. There were tears in her eyes. For a moment, Nora didn't sit before him. In her place was a small, dirty orphan, looking at him with terrified eyes as she hugged her knees to herself. He blinked as she said, "Not like this."

Ren stared at her for a moment and sighed. He dipped down and pulled the handle from its place in his boot, where he'd kept it all these years. The knife was curved and ornately carved, showing his father's hand—the last remnant he had of Li Ren.

Nora's hand closed his own fingers around the blade, and when he looked up, her tears had been replaced by determination. "We can do this."

Ren nodded slowly at her, and together, the friends emerged from their hiding place under the building. Jaune fell back towards them, with Ruby not far behind, Team RNJR presenting a united front against the monster that paced before them.

"Ren," Ruby said after a long moment. He looked to her. "Jaune and I can take care of its arms."

Nora glanced at him. "I'll take care of the horse."

His calm returned, Ren replied, "And I'll take care of the rest."

With that short plan, everyone split up. Nora headed to the tallest rooftop she could find, her slowly recharging Aura giving her the strength to leap to the top and wait for her cue.

Ruby fired round after round at the rider, who blocked with its arms as it followed her movements. The beast launched its rubbery limbs at her, but Ruby leaped from rooftop to rooftop, always a step ahead. She fired and launched herself into the air, letting off a few more rounds as she fell back to the ground. The rider launched an arm at her again, but she fired herself high, quickly twisting in the air to come back down with her blade and pin the creature's hand to the ground.

The Nuckelavee roared in agony as its arm was pinned, the horse stamping with a pained cry of its own as Ren's dagger boomeranged through the air and sank into its hide. In its pain, the rider caught sight of Jaune, standing at the ready with his sword, and fired its undamaged arm forward. Ren, however, had perched atop a nearby building with Jaune's shield, and now he leaped forward, deflecting the arm and pinning it beneath the shield before it could reach Jaune. "Now!" he cried, and Jaune stepped forward, driving his sword deep through the Nuckelavee's other arm and sticking it in place. "Nora!" Ren shouted up to the hammer wielder, who had finished her ascent.

Nora grinned as she dipped backwards, falling from the top of the building like a missle before she slammed her hammer down with a powerful cry into the horse's head, shattering its bony faceplate and killing half of the creature. As it felt its mount go dead, the Nuckelavee screeched in fresh rage, unable to do anything but wait for its opponents to make a move.

Ren stepped forward, withdrawing the knife from its place in the horse's thigh as he stepped to face the head of the rider. The torso regarded him pitifully, trying to shriek fearfully but powerless as it was trapped between Ruby and Jaune.

Ren didn't flinch as it roared in his face. Flipping the knife in his hand, he slashed upward, slicing through Jaune's pinned arm. _For my mother. _The shrieks of pain were deafening as the torso writhed, but Ren remained steadfast, gripping it by one of its massive horns to keep it from moving. _For my father. _He sliced through the other arm, leaving the armless torso to contort uselessly atop the fallen horse and shriek in impotent rage and pain. _For all those you've slain_. Ren delivered a forward slash across the bony breastplates, and the body dipped forward smoke spewing from the wound. Ren closed his eyes. "For myself," he said aloud as it roared. Opening his now-fiery eyes, he swung one last time, chopping the beast's head off and silencing its roars forever. The body reflexively squirmed for a moment before falling dead with the horse, already beginning to disintegrated into a massive cloud of Grimm smoke that rose high above Kuroyuri. The deed finally done, Ren doubled over, sighing heavily in relief.

Nora let out a giggling cry of victory as she tackled him to the ground, hugging him close as he chuckled and pulled her to himself. Jaune watched them with a smile, but then turned as a concerned Ruby immediately ran for the alley where he'd stashed Qrow.

Ruby rounded the corner and immediately sighed in relief as she took in the weak but steady rise and fall of her uncle's chest. Going to his side, she crouched down. In a sudden moment of lucidity, Qrow looked up at her with a small grin. "It's quiet," he said weakly. "Good job, kiddo."

Ruby smiled back at him, until her ears registered a peculiar, distant chirping sound. "Guys! I think I hear something!" Jaune cried from the town square.

Jaune, Ren, and Nora all watched with wide eyes as a pair of sailboat-like airships bearing the symbol of Mistral appeared overhead in the sky and dipped down before them, crew members hurrying to land the machines. Nora pointed one of them over towards the alleyway, hurriedly explaining Qrow's situation, and as she was joined by a couple of Mistralian paramedics, Ruby, for the first time that day, allowed herself to believe that her uncle was going to be alright.

Once everyone had been loaded up, the two Mistralian airships took off and sped back towards Mistral. Ruby never left Qrow's side as they transported him to the ship via stretcher, and she still tightly clutched his hand as they ships zoomed over Mistral's countryside.

"How did you find us out here?" Jaune asked one of their rescuers once they were en route to the city.

"We were on patrol and saw the smoke," the crewman replied. "Nobody's been out here for years; thought something might be wrong."

Ruby was still concerned for Qrow, whose face was pale. "What if we don't make it in time?"

"Ruby," Jaune said softly, staring ahead of them. Ruby lifted her gaze to follow his, her eyes widening as she took in the city of Mistral. Laid out before them was a city built around and on two twin mountains, jutting up like an emerald in the sky. Multiple layers of buildings and waterfalls dotted the different levels of the mountain, and the city flourished outwards around its base. At the top, built as a bridge between the two peaks, stood Haven Academy, Mistral's Huntsman training school built to touch the clouds.

Ruby felt the tension drain from her as she gave a relieved smile. "We made it, Uncle Qrow."

Qrow grunted slightly, his hand closing tighter around hers to let her know he'd heard.

Ren and Nora sat beside each other, staring at the beautiful city before them as their legs dangled off the edge of the open airship's hangar floor. Nora gazed at the city in wonder, but she flinched in surprise as she felt a hand close around her own. Ren smiled at her softly as she turned their hands over, holding his, and smiled back at him, scooting a bit closer so che could lean her head on his shoulder as the airships drew near to Mistral.

* * *

**Mistralian Hotel, Mistral**

Ruby quietly opened the door to the room she and Qrow were sharing. He had been asleep when she'd left, and she didn't want to wake him if he still was. Gently, she closed the door behind her and smiled as she noticed that Qrow hadn't stirred.

Once they had reached the city yesterday, the paramedics had immediately taken Qrow away to a hospital to be treated. Ruby had wanted to go with him, but at Jaune's urging, she allowed them to carry on without her and instead checked into a room at a nearby hotel to get some much needed rest. Later that evening, she'd been called by the hospital with the news that Qrow was alright and that she could take him home.

Due to the powerful sedative he'd been given, Qrow was extremely drowsy, and it took both of the friends' combined efforts after they'd caught a taxi home to manage to tuck him into the bed in which he now slept, where he'd passed out almost immediately in a deep sleep.

Ruby set her folded weapon down on the vacant bed, then walked over to Qrow's side, beaming with relief as she put a hand gently on the side of his head. His grizzled stubble scratched her fingers, and a small, silent sigh escaped her as he didn't stir.

Sure that he would still be asleep for a while, Ruby walked over to the room's other furniture, a small wooden desk on the wall opposite the beds, and sat down. They wouldn't be staying here long; it was merely a temporary stop until Qrow had returned to full strength. Once he had, they would be able to find a better place for all of them to stay together while in Mistral, but for now, Ruby simply relaxed into the chair and pulled a pen and notepad on the desk closer to herself. She hadn't written home in the past several days, what with the rapid progression of events after Oniyuri, but now was the perfect time to find her peace and start writing to her dad and Yang again.

Slowly, Ruby began her letter, letting her thoughts flow onto the paper. "_Hey sis. I hope my letters have been reaching you and Dad. Hand-written stuff's never been super reliable, but I guess it's all we've got these days. Anyway, in case you haven't been getting them, I want to say I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. I know you told me it was a reckless idea, and after everything I've been through, I can definitely say you were right._

"_It's been hard, on all of us, and I'm not just talking about the monsters we fought out here._"

* * *

**Shipping Docks, Atlas**

If the pilot was at all uneasy about transporting such a well-known fugitive, he didn't show it, simply counting the Lien in his hands to make sure the amount she'd offered was accurate. Satisfied, he said, "Okay, you can hide out back in the cargo hold. I'll take you as far as I can, but if we get caught, you're on your own." He glanced up at her. "Understand?"

Silently, Weiss nodded and walked forward into the ship, followed by the pilot. A moment later, the craft took off, heading for Mistral in an effort to squeeze a last supply of goods into the country before Ironwood's closed border decree took effect.

"_Every step we made took us further and further from the things we knew. And every morning we woke up wondering, if just over the next hill would be something good or something terrible."_

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

"_It's scary not knowing what's going to happen next. And the things we do know now… just how bad it can get… It almost makes it all worse._"

Blake stared at the small chest on her father's desk before she opened it. Everything was as she'd left it inside the small wooden box, the only goodbye she'd left her parents before running off to Vale with Adam. She'd honestly been surprised to see they'd kept it. Inside was her old sketching notebook, the one Adam had given her as a gift, an old book, and a folded piece of red cloth. She raised the cloth before her face, staring at the bared fangs and white slash mark of the White Fang's current emblem.

* * *

**Mistral-bound Passenger Ferry**

Yang Xiao Long leaned against the wall of the ship behind her, staring down at the photograph of Team STRQ clutched between her yellow, metal fingers. The image was faded from age and dark from behind the lenses of her yellow sunglasses. Her long golden hair, now flying free from the ponytail she'd held it in on Patch, blew gently behind her from a slight breeze as she looked at her mother's face, staring up at her with an alluring smile from behind the ticket for the ferry. Beside her, Bumblebee gleamed in the sun, her sole companion for her journey to Mistral.

"_You told me once that bad things just happen. You were angry when you said it, and I didn't want to listen._"

* * *

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

Taiyang Xiao long held the same photograph in his own hands, sighing as he looked at how young he and his friends had been. "_But you were right. Bad things do happen. All the time, every day. Which is why I'm out here, to do whatever I can, wherever I can, and hopefully do some good._" Zwei barked cheerily at him, and Tai looked up with a smile, glancing across the room to another framed picture Ruby had sent him not long after joining Yang at Beacon of her and the rest of Team RWBY smiling at the camera. In bright red marker, she'd written, "New Friends!" with a heart drawn on it.

* * *

**Mistralian Hotel, Mistral**

Jaune stared at Crocea Mors, the sword and shield resting against the wall away from him. Sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, the boy solemnly traced the bronze outlines of shining metal at the edges of his shield and the stylish design at the bottom. "_We've all lost something, and I've seen what loss can do to people. But if we gave up every time we lost, then we'd never be able to move forward._" Ren and Nora opened the door and walked in, Jaune smiling slightly as Ren set down his father's knife beside Jaune's weapons. Ren moved to sit on the bed as Nora sank down by Jaune's side, resting her head on him comfortingly. The three friends stayed like that for a long time, staring at the fragments of the past leaning against the wall.

* * *

**Atlas Airspace, Kingdom of Atlas**

Weiss smiled as she gazed out the window of her secret transport, watching as the sunset painted a tapestry of gold and pink in the skies above the mighty, snow-capped mountains of Atlas. "_We'd never have a chance to see what beautiful things the future might have waiting for us."_

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

Blake, setting the red flag to the side, lifted up what she'd been searching for, another folded cloth, this one blue, that had hidden beneath her other things. Slowly, she unfurled it before her, taking in the old sight of a peaceful wolf's head amid blue fabric, the sigil of the White Fang when it had still been peaceful under her father's command. "_We'd never have the strength to change, whether it's ourselves, or the world around us._" She lowered the flag and looked at Sun, who was watching her intently from his laid back position in one of the chairs, and smiled.

* * *

**Mistralian Docks, Kingdom of Mistral**

"_And we'd never be there for other people who might one day be lost without us. This is what we were training for, Yang: to become Huntresses, to be the ones to stand up and do something about all the bad in the world._"

Yang nodded to the captain and first mate of the ship, who both smiled and waved farewell from the railing of the ferry that had brought her to Anima. Revving her motor, the blazing beauty raced away on her motorbike, heading inland towards the Kingdom's capital.

* * *

**Mistral-bound Passenger Train, Kingdom of Mistral**

Oscar Pine felt the train rattling beneath him as he stared out the window, watching the mountain city of Mistral grow closer every moment across the vast waters of Lake Matsu. He glanced over at a poster on the wall in front of him, a promotion for Haven Academy. Over the intercom, the announcer's voice said, "Approaching: City of Mistral."

Unsure of his future, the young farmboy watched as the the green mountains rose like gemstones above the lake, bringing him closer to his destiny, whatever it may be.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

Ilia Amitola landed on a flat rooftop of Kuo Kuana. Corsac and Fennec had called her to meet them, and they were waiting for her as she dropped down from the shadows. The Albain brothers regarded her severely, watching with approval as she bowed her masked face to them and awaited her orders on one knee. "_Because there are plenty of people out there who are still lost, and even more who will try to gain everything they can from their sorrow._"

* * *

**Salem's Fortress, Unknown Realm**

Cinder snapped her fingers expectantly, the Grimm laying in dissolving heaps at her feet, vanquished. Behind her, Emerald and Mercury had paid silent audience to her display, having been summoned for a special purpose today. The Fall Maiden's rage was almost a physical thing as it simmered beneath the surface, her powers nearly returned to their full strength. "_Believe me when I say, I know it can feel impossible, like every single day is a struggle against some unstoppable monster we can never hope to beat._"

At Cinder's snapped, silent command, Emerald held a hand to her head and narrowed her eyes in concentration. Activating her Semblance, the mint-haired girl projected an illusion of Ruby Rose kneeling before Cinder in defeat, looking up at her as she raised a hand in a silent plea for mercy. Cinder snarled at the conjured image, unleashing a plume of flame from her hand to incinerate the girl's visage in a wave of golden heat. From the side, Salem's ghastly face was illuminated by the fiery power, her skin glowing white like her smile as she looked on in approval of her disciple's progress.

* * *

**Mistralian Hotel, Mistral**

Ruby had become emotional as she wrote, her brow furrowing as her fingers moved. "_But we have to try,_" she continued, "_if not for us, then for the people we've already—" _Pyrrha's smile and laugh flashed through her mind, and her breath caught. After a moment, she scratched out the line. "_Then for the people we haven't lost yet._" Staring down, the words blurred on the page, and a few gentle tears wet the paper at the bottom as they fell from her silver eyes.

Wiping her eyes, Ruby composed herself and continued, "_I miss you so much. I miss Weiss and Blake too. But I think you'd all be proud to know that I made it to Mistral. All of us did… and we even ran into Uncle Qrow along the way._" Behind her, Qrow groaned and turned on the bed, prompting Ruby to set her pen down and move to his side.

"Hey," he murmured with a wry grin. "Aren't I normally the one saving you?"

Crying as she smiled, Ruby wiped her eyes again, the letter to be continued later. In the corner, Qrow's sword and Ozpin's cane, which Qrow had been carrying with him, leaned against the wall and watched silently as Ruby embraced her uncle.

* * *

**Mistralian Forests, Kingdom of Mistral**

"_He's going to take us to see Professor Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven Academy. And he told us some things that you're gonna wanna hear, things I can't trust will make it to you in this letter._" Yang rode through the forests of Mistral, her golden mane billowing behind her. "_But maybe, if you join us, he could tell you himself._" The brawler rolled to a stop as she came to a crossroads, staring up at a sign. To the right, the sign read _Mistral. _On the left, the carved word _Kuroyuri _had been written over in bright red paint by the word _BANDITS_. "_With Beacon gone they'll need Dad at Signal more than ever, and I know you need to focus on yourself before I can expect you to come out with me. But it sure would be great to get Team RWBY back together again._"

Yang sighed and grinned. "You are in so much trouble when I find you." With that, she revved her motor again and chose her path, speeding off deeper into the Kingdom's far-reaching woods. "_Until next time, your loving sister, Ruby Rose._"

* * *

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

"_Oh! Uh, PS. I'll be sure to give you the address of where we're staying in Mistral! I'd love to hear back from you and Dad, and I can't wait to fill you in on whatever's going to happen next!_"

The sun streamed in through the wide windows of the headmaster's office in

Haven Academy. Before the window, a large mahogany desk strewn with various papers bore a small plaque that read _Professor Lionheart_.

"_Now that we've made it across Anima, I really think things are gonna start going our way._"

The professor himself sat at a side table, gazing worriedly at his guest. The other

man was exceptionally thin, dressed in a dapper gray coat, brown undercoat, and yellow undershirt, grinning at him from behind a bushy peppered mustache. Leaning forward, Dr. Arthur Watts regarded Lionheart with polite menace as he reached for the small green teacup the headmaster had filled with steaming tea from a similar kettle. Lionheart's own cup lay untouched on the table as he watched Watts warily.

"Why thank you, Professor," the other man said cordially as he leaned back. "Salem always did say you were…" He took a slow sip of the tea. "_Quite _hospitable."

* * *

**Mistralian Bar, Mistral**

Qrow sighed heavily. It had been over a week since their arrival in Mistral, and they'd gone to see Leo today. The headmaster had been frustrating, acting slightly abnormally but remaining resolute that they would have to wait for the approval of the Mistral Council for any action to be taken.

Qrow may not like it, but there was nothing they could do. The kids had returned

home without him at his request, waiting for him to come back from his drink. However, for the first time in a long time, Qrow merely stared into the murky depths of the alcohol, too preoccupied to focus on enjoying the drink.

"E-excuse me?" came a hesitant voice from behind him. A young voice, from the sound of it. Qrow half-turned and glanced over his shoulder, taking in the sight of a young boy in dirty farmhand clothing with a short but messy mop of black hair staring uncertainly at him.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak," the Huntsman said.

The boy looked down at his left arm, shifting slightly. "Shut up, I'm getting there,"

he said, as if speaking to someone that Qrow couldn't hear. The man glanced around quickly to make sure they were alone, then returned his intense gaze to the kid, his interest piqued as he sat waiting for an explanation.

The boy shifted uncomfortably again on his feet. "Umm, I'm supposed to tell you…" He looked up at Qrow in confusion. "I'd like my cane back?"

Qrow's face twitched, his eyes going wide in surprise before he smiled, nodding in understanding. Wordlessly, the Huntsman rose, and the boy backed up a step as he waited for Qrow to speak.

Qrow reached to his belt and withdrew the cane he'd been carrying since the Fall of Beacon, a rueful grunt that wasn't quite a chuckle escaping his lips. "It's good to see ya again, Oz."

With that, Qrow tossed the small object to the boy. Oscar reflexively caught it in surprise, gasping as the cane fully extended in his grip before he looked up to Qrow for an explanation.

Qrow smirked. They'd have time to talk. The three of them, together. For now, however, the drink in his hand suddenly seemed lighter than it had a few moments ago, and he slowly raised it to his lips, knowing that in the kid's head, Ozpin was chuckling.


	58. Weiss Character Short

**Weiss Character Short**

_Mirror, what's this thing I see?_

_Who is staring back at me?_

_A stranger to my heart has filled my mind._

_Mirror… help me… who am I?_

**THEN…**

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

Icy air tickled the frozen leaves of the garden's plants, long since caught in the snap-freeze of Atlas' winter. The ice clung to formerly green stems and leaves like elegant claws, catching any forming buds in their cold grasp. Young flakes of snow whirled gently in the air, shining like dancers under the spotlight of the broken moon overhead. This was the first clear night that Schnee Manor had seen in a while, but the slight breeze still brought a violent chill to anyone outside. Not for the first time, Weiss thanked her mother for the beautiful white vest she currently wore over her dress, a gift from her birthday last year. The red, velvety interior caught her body's heat and trapped it, providing the heiress some protection against the freeze.

Weiss stood at the edge of the manor courtyard, a large, beautiful terrace in the middle of the garden that hung on the edge of the building and, on a clear night, provided a breathtaking view of the city of Atlas below. Facing a large, metal statue of the SDC snowflake emblem, the heiress closed her eyes in silent meditation, her hands held to her head as she adjusted her small tiara to the right position in her hair. Her ponytail trailed straight down her back, itself the color of snow as it gently swayed in the breeze at her waist. Slowly, Weiss's hand dipped to her side and grasped the familiar shape of Myrtenaster, the Dust cartridge within spinning to a precisely controlled stop under her practiced fingers.

The girl turned, opening her eyes to the courtyard, and walked forward, her back now to the giant snowflake behind her. As she approached the middle of the large, open area, a sudden whirlwind erupted around her, twinkling fragments of Aura joining with the snow as they gave her the appearance of being trapped in a blizzard. The Summoning field whipped around her, blowing her clothes and making the already chilling wind feel arctic on her skin. Weiss didn't complain, merely surveying the field as she narrowed her eyes, searching for the first enemy that would emerge from its snowy depths.

She didn't have to wait long. As Weiss watched, a snow-white Beowolf emerged from the blizzard, eyes and mouth glowing blue as it licked its lips hungrily and looked at her. The Summon was soon joined by its brethren, a group of Beowolves carefully circling her as they slavered and prepared to attack. Weiss sensed the tension and prepared herself, trying to anticipate where the first strike would come from. Once again, the creatures didn't keep her waiting. From behind, lumbering footsteps and a roar caught her attention, and she turned with a gasp as she saw a massive beast leap towards her, arms outstretched and ready to slash her flesh. Weiss didn't flinch. Waiting for a fraction of a second as it neared her, she stabbed forward with Myrtenaster, the rapier impaling the creature through the head and protruding from the other side. The Beowolf, literally stopped dead in its tracks, fell limp on her blade, quickly flickering away into white energy that melted back into the winds of the Summoning storm.

Weiss wasn't allowed any time to rest. Even as the first Beowolf dissolved, snarls from behind alerted her that its friends had taken the opening to strike. Quickly, she flipped backwards, landing atop the first's neck as it jumped forward. Her hand was steady and quick as the cold steel of Myrtenaster easily sliced its head off. Swiftly, she leaped high into the air, a glyph materializing to catch her as she sprang back down to the other. The Beowolf roared even as a second glyph appeared in front of its head, angled towards her. Easily, she stabbed the creature through the magical platform and flipped high into the air, backwards towards the Schnee snowflake statue.

Landing the way she'd been trained, left foot slightly before the right with her sword held high at her chest, Weiss spun the chamber and stopped on a vial of red Dust. Eyes snapping open, she trailed her finger up the blade, glowing with flame, and let out a cry as she swung Myrtenaster forward. A wave of heat warmed her veins as a sharp crescent of fire emerged from the blade, completely eradicating the remaining three monsters almost before they could roar in surprise. For a moment, the heat even caused the Summoning storm to abate, icicles around the courtyard dripping as they melted in the dead of winter.

Smiling at her skills, Weiss fondly glanced up the length of the silver blade, before a flicker of movement caught her eye. Gasping in surprise, she watched as the Summoning field regained power, more of the faux Grimm emerging from the white winds to roar a challenge. This fight wasn't over.

Sighing as she regained her concentration, Weiss closed her eyes again,

leveling the rapier's tip at the Beowolves as a black glyph appeared behind her. The practiced steps played over in her mind as she leaped onto the glyph, using the gravity Dust it contained to shoot herself forward towards the pack of snarling beasts. The first one she cut down before she even touched the ground, the Summon's first lunge being its last. She spun with a cry as another leaped forward, stabbing it in the torso several times in rapid succession before it fell back and dissolved. Like a practiced ballerina, she rotated again, spinning on her feet as she took off the next's arms, followed quickly by its head.

Quickly, she took on the swarm, darting left and right as she sliced through torsos and heads, a dizzying white blur with her glyphs as she shot from one place to the next. She cut one down even as more emerged from the winds; quickly, she took them head on. Two fell dead to her blade in rapid succession, a third losing an arm as it roared in pain. Weiss left it for a moment to kill another, then rocketed back past it with her glyphs to kill yet another. Angered, the maimed Summon roared and charged her, but she darted forward and buried Myrtenaster in its chest, its roar fading as it dissolved. A Beowolf reared up behind her, but the heiress was quicker, throwing her sword like a missile to strike it in the torso. Before the metal could fall from the body, Weiss sprinted forward and retrieved it, giving a fierce cry as she stabbed the tip into the ground. From within the Dust blade, a glyph appeared at her feet, a wave of ice flowering outwards in deadly spikes from the magical white snowflake. The five remaining Grimm were all impaled as they charged forward to quickly to stop, leaving Weiss like snowy pollen at the center.

The Dust-spawned ice melted quickly away as the girl remained in her kneeling position, breathing hard from the battle that had ensued. Slowly, she got back to her feet, expecting the Summoning storm around her to abate for good. Unexpectedly, however, the winds picked up, howling louder with intensity. Startled, Weiss braced herself for another Grimm to leap from the storm and attack, but this time, the attacker was the storm itself.

From the side, a narrow wave of energy, like the dorsal fin of a gigantic fish, emerged from the wind and rushed towards her like a shark. Taken off guard, Weiss grunted as the wave glanced off of her, followed by another from the opposite side to quickly for her to combat. A third such wave took her by surprise and made contact with her sword hand, knocking Myrtenaster from her grasp to clatter to the ground several feet away. Mentally chiding herself for leaving herself open, Weiss put a frustrated hand to her head, but she cried out in surprise as a snarl reminded her that she was still in a battle. Before she could react, a Beowolf had leaped onto her, pinning her helplessly beneath it as she held its jaws at bay, snapping to bite her face.

Around the captured girl, the rest of the pack closed in, sensing her helplessness. Steaming with white energy, the monsters circled closer, even as the beast atop her still snarled and strained to devour her. With a shared roar, the five other Beowolves leaped for her, ready to end her in a storm of snarling teeth and rending claws. With no other choice, Weiss screamed in terror, "Winter!"

The beasts landed around her, but abruptly, they vanished, even the Beowolf on top of her dissipating like smoke into dissolving fragments of white Semblance energy. Similarly, the whirling storm around her finally swirled to a slow stop, leaving the night quiet once more. Weiss, head bowed in disappointment, rose to her knees and listened to the sharp, clicking heels that approached her. With a _ting_, Myrtenaster was stabbed into the ground before her as she looked up into her sister's eyes.

Winter met her gaze severely, her eyebrows knit together in sternness, before her face relaxed and she sighed. Her eyes not quite as hard, Winter said pointedly, "I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss."

Pained by her sister's disappointment, Weiss averted her gaze. "I'm sorry. I'll get better."

Winter looked at her a moment longer with something that was neither pity nor teaching, but something of a mixture. Then, not looking back at Weiss, the militant Huntress strode slowly back towards the manor, softly replying over her shoulder, "You'll have to if you ever want to leave."

Weiss looked at her hands, resting on her knees, as she listened to Winter's clicking gait fade from her ears. She knew her sister was right. For too long, Weiss had realized what her sister had also realized at the heiress' age: that their father's house was not where she was meant to be for the rest of her life. Secretly, she had gone to her sister and asked for help training, trying to strengthen her abilities before she asked Jacques to let her go and train at Beacon Academy in Vale. Now, however, she stared uncertainly at her blade, left where Winter had stabbed it, and sighed.

* * *

**NOW…**

**Mistral-bound Cargo Ship, Kingdom of Mistral**

Weiss gasped herself awake, stirred from the dream by a jostle of the ship. She glanced to the side, frowning as she saw that the sun was setting over the peaks of Atlas' mountains. Slowly, she let out a sigh, the memory staying in her mind for a long time as the past drifted silently behind her, far, far below…

**Author's Note: And so we come to the beginning of the infamously controversial Volume 5. I will say, I embrace Volume 5 with open arms, faults (because they do exist) and all. However, I did enjoy this Volume and thought it had some legitimately heartfelt, exciting, and shocking moments. Also, I've been catching up on writing recently, and I'm happy to announce that I'll soon be finished writing out Volume 6. Unfortunately, once those have been posted on here, we'll all have to go on the hiatus in wait of Volume 7, but once that starts premiering, I'll more than happily return. Enjoy! - Jek**


	59. Blake Character Short

**Blake Character Short**

_Show them how you smile,_

_If only for a while._

_Take what you need,_

_Leave them to bleed,_

_Let them know bitter while_

_Your revenge is sweet._

**NOW…**

**Kuo Kuana Marketplace, Menagerie**

The market was crowded this late afternoon, merchants and customers forming a thick crowd in Kuo Kuana's marketplace. The sun's dusky rays shined down gold upon the Faunus colony, casting sleepy shadows across buildings and prompting some owners to begin to close up their stalls and turn in for the night. However, most of the vendors were still busily attracting people to their stalls with goods of fruit and fish and flowers.

Blake Belladonna strode slowly through the marketplace, gazing around at the activity surrounding her. Nearby, a cart of fish lay tantalizingly in view, but Blake kept her mind on task and strayed away from the food, instead striding over to a different cart displaying a beautiful display of belladonna flowers.

Blake leaned in and smiled, taking a small sniff of her namesake's scent as she tried to appear unassuming in case anyone was watching. Her back turned to the throng, a small gust of wind lightly blew her hair as she allowed the smile to slip from her face, her eyes darting to the sides as she searched for her target.

* * *

**THEN…**

**Forever Fall, Vale**

"_Can I ask you something?" Blake had her arms crossed over her chest, leaning back against the wall. Night time in the forest of Forever Fall outside the Kingdom of Vale was usually quiet, and tonight, she and Ilia had been paired together on rooftop patrol of the White Fang's small, secret compound hidden amidst the ever-autumn trees._

_Ilia was seated, legs crossed, to Blake's left, her long, red ponytail curling behind her back. Without looking up, she replied, "Sure."_

"_Why…" Blake hesitated a moment, searching for the right words. "Why'd you join the White Fang?"_

_The chameleon Faunus girl leaned back and looked up at her friend, smiling slightly. "Same reason as you."_

"_But—"_

"_But why fight when I pass for human?" Ilia finished. Blake looked down at her, tracing Ilia's friendly smile on her face as the other girl stared up at her with playful, light grey eyes. "It's okay. You're not the first person to ask. I know I look just like any other human girl. And for years… that's how I was raised."_

* * *

**NOW…**

**Kuo Kuana Marketplace, Menagerie**

Blake's eyes narrowed as she located a Faunus man a small distance away in front of a weapon cart. From behind her, a hand fell firmly on her shoulder as Sun wordlessly appeared at her side, his eyes following hers as they both stared at the man. In front of the stall, the man had palmed a small switchblade and twirled it between expert fingers, testing the small knife's handling as a bunny-eared vendor looked on.

Blake's hand dipped behind her to her pocket and retrieved her Scroll, swiping it open as she began to press buttons. One folder, marked 'Ilia Associates' she clicked open, thumbing through various files until she brought up a picture of a scaly, Faunus man with a brown ponytail, loose green shirt, and a toothy necklace. There was no doubt it was the same man at the knife stall. She looked up and met Sun's gaze, and he nodded in understanding before slinking off into the crowd. Together, the two Faunus friends began to push through the people towards their quarry, rapidly closing in on the unsuspecting man.

"_We lived in Mantle with the other Faunus working the mines," Ilia began, her voice going faraway as she stared at Forever Fall's auburn leaves. "But my parents wanted something better for me. They managed to enroll me in an Atlas prep school." She chuckled slightly. "Imagine that: a little Faunus girl from Mantle going to the city of dreams." Ilia sighed wistfully. "I felt like a princess. But I had to follow a set of rules."_

The man's smile was satisfied as he reached to his belt and pulled loose a Lien card, passing it to the shopkeeper as he retracted and pocketed the small blade. However, as the shopkeeper's attention shifted, the Faunus man followed his gaze, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Blake and Sun striding purposefully towards him. Blake was pulling Gambol Shroud's flat blade from her back when her eyes met his. She and Sun both flinched in surprise, eyes going wide as they realized their ambush had been ruined.

With an annoyed growl, the man quickly drew a small pistol from his hip and fired two rapid shots in the direction of the two friends. Blake ducked behind her blade as one of the Dust rounds _pinged _off of it, while Sun crouched beneath the other. A small series of frightened cries sounded from the market's patrons as they stared at the spectacle, taken off guard by the sudden gunshots. Glowering, the Faunus man took the moment to turn tail, sprinting off through the crowds as Blake and Sun followed close behind in hot pursuit.

_Ilia ticked off the rules on her fingers as she spoke. "No bringing friends home, no talking about my parents, and absolutely, under no circumstances, was I allowed to change colors. No one could know I was a Faunus."_

_Blake didn't know exactly what to say. "That… sounds terrible."_

_Ilia's reply surprised her. "It wasn't. It was confusing at first, but it wasn't hard… especially if it meant being it Atlas."_

The man whirled suddenly amidst the chase, more people gasping in surprise as he turned and fired at Blake and Sun again. Unfortunately, the small pistol ran out of ammunition after another pair of shots, forcing the man to dart down another street. Blake and Sun rounded the corner after him, still some twenty yards behind the fleeing Faunus. Up ahead, a man was lying beneath a small car, fixing something with the axle. Behind the car, a wagon piled high with boxes was hooked into place by a small chain.

Quickly, the fleeing man ducked to the side and leaped between the car and the wagon, the switchblade flashing into his hand as he sliced through the small chain. Now free from the car, the wagon began to roll down the sloping street, gaining speed as it hurtled towards civilians and Blake and Sun drew near. The two friends paused in their pursuit as they watched the cart barreling unsteadily down on them.

"_Sometimes the other girls would say things about the Faunus." Ilia's voice dipped low. "That they were animals, that they were dirty, or they lied, and… I'd say those things with them. Because I felt like I was _one _of them!" She paused. "And then, one day, there was a cave-in at the mines." _

_Blake knelt down beside her friend as she continued, "I was at school when the news broke. Apparently, one of the workers tripped while handling some agitated Dust crystals." Ilia's voice was a desolate murmer as she went on, "The explosion caused a chain reaction. And my… friends…" Ilia turned away as her eyes narrowed, Blake unable to see as her glaring irises turned a burning, cobalt blue. "Snickered_."

Pedestrians sidestepped frantically out of the path of the runaway cart. From behind, Sun leaped atop Blake's shoulders to propel himself forwards as he clapped his hands together. Golden light outlined his form as the monkey-tailed boy activated his Semblance and two light copies of himself ran forward on all fours, bracing themselves against the wagon to begin to slow its momentum. "Go!" Sun shouted to her before he ran forward alongside his clones and pushed against the boxes, slowing the wagon down before it could hurt anyone. Blake leaped high into the air and launched her bladed pistol forward, catching it in the wood of the wagon. The blade dug in as she tugged hard on the ribbon in her hands, running briefly along the side of the building as she swept herself into the alleyway after the disappearing Faunus man.

Quickly, Blake hurled Gambol Shroud forward again, the blade wrapping itself around the man's ankle. With a quick tug of her ribbon, the fleeing man tripped to the ground, Blake firmly grasping the other end as she prepared to reel him in, when, unexpectedly, the tautness disappeared as the ribbon was cut from an unknown source. Blake fell backwards momentarily but quickly regained her footing, glaring forwards at the sight of the man's rescuer.

"_I lost control," Ilia slowly went on, tone thick with raw emotion. Every inch of me turned blue as I wept. And suddenly, all the girls that I had laughed and played with… were _scared _of me!"_

_Blake looked at Ilia's blue eyes in sympathetic pity. "I'm sorry."_

_The other girl stood, her eyes and hair turning bright yellow as her skin became vibrant red, speckled with yellow spots. "Don't be," Ilia said with a proud, defiant grin, hands in firm fists at her sides. "I broke their teeth."_

Before Blake stood Ilia, garbed in her horned White Fang mask and wielding her whiplike rapier, having cut the rope between her former friend and her current associate. The man got to his feet behind her as she slowly removed her mask, glaring threateningly at Blake as she leveled her weapon at her.

Undeterred, Blake took a step forward, her ears curled in determination. Ilia flinched and shifted her aim, pointing her sword upwards towards a small, suspended platform holding a stack of boxes. She fired a shot at the rope binding the platform, which quickly unspooled and spilled the box to the ground in a cloud of shattered wood and dust that temporarily blinded Blake.

When the dust settled, Blake lowered her arms, but the man had already disappeared, and as her head shifted upward at a sound, she watched Ilia's lithe body do the same, flipping up the wall as she vanished to the rooftops.

Behind Blake, finally having dealt with the cart, Sun caught up to her, his eyes darting around in search of their original target. "What happened?" he asked her.

Blake avoided his eyes. "He got away." Still not looking at him, she turned and began to head back to the street, quietly adding, "I'm sorry." Sun lingered a moment more, staring suspiciously up at the rooftops, before he turned and followed Blake back towards the Belladonna Manor.

Above them both, Ilia sadly watched the two friends go, before her gaze narrowed, she replaced her helmet, and flipped away atop the buildings, ducking back down into the alleys to report back on her own assignment.


	60. Yang Character Short

**Yang Character Short**

_Fool you shouldn't stare into these eyes of fire,_

_You're going to regret this little fight._

_You don't wanna mess with me, I'm something higher._

_Anguish you'll know for your miserable plight,_

_Soon you'll bemoan your mistake of a life,_

_You'll watch yourself suffer, you'll watch me ignite!_

**THEN…**

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

With a pained cry and a heavy thud, Ruby Rose fell to the dirt ground of the forest clearing with a pained groan. "_Oww…_"

"Come on," Yang said, smiling smugly down at her little sister with a hand on her hip. "You totally could've dodged that." She dipped down and offered her other hand to Ruby, who accepted it and was hoisted back to her feet.

"Yaaang!" Ruby groaned in annoyance. "I've already told you, I'm just not cut out for hand-to-hand. Why can't I just use my beautiful Crescent Rose?" Ruby smiled as her mind wandered to her dearly beloved scythe, back home an hour away.

"That's exactly why I wouldn't let you bring it," Yang replied. Ruby deflated at her words with a snort, but Yang turned to her with a caring smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm gonna be leaving for Beacon soon. I wanna make sure my little sis can hold her own while I'm gone." She patted Ruby once on the shoulder, then backed up into a fighting stance again.

Ruby, arms still crossed, reluctantly said, "Fine." However, before she could react, Yang was already back on the offensive, striking forward with a quick punch. Ruby gasped, barely blocking the fist, then dodged away from two more blows before ducking under her older sister as Yang kicked at her in the air. Yang quickly turned and charged forward, Ruby barely quick enough to block even with her Semblance's assistance. Seeing an opening, she tried to dash in with a punch of her own, but Yang easily dodged to the side with a cocky smile as her ankle shot out to trip Ruby up. The young reaper cried out as Yang's fist came right for her face, her Semblance activating in reflexive panic as a storm of rose petals shot her out of the clearing and into the woods through some bushes.

Yang chuckled as the leaves rustled and settled from Ruby's sudden departure. "Nice one sis!" The brawler placed her hands atop her head, taking a leisurely stroll around the clearing. "You're not always going to be able to run away from your problems, though. Sometimes, you just have to stand your ground and fight, no matter what." She pulled an arm across her chest in a stretch. "Alright, enough rest! Get back out here!" she called to her sister. There was no reply.

Behind her, however, something rustled in the brush, leaves and twigs whispering together as deep, lumbering footfalls drew near. Yang put a hand to her brow, peering into the leaves. "Ruby?" However, the shape that emerged was not the young girl, but rather, the nightmarish, glowing red visage of a bone-white Grimm mask. The Grimm in the bushes glared out from the shadows, growling at the blond brawler.

Yang's eyes went wide in alarm. "Ruby!" she cried. The creature emerged from the darkness of the woods, towering over Yang in the spiked and plated form of a colossal Ursa Major that roared a challenge at her. Immediately, the young Huntress-to-be activated her bracelets, transforming the simple yellow accessories into the golden metal gauntlets of Ember Celica. The beast took this as her reply and started forward towards her in large, leaping bounds.

Yang fired her gauntlets to launch herself forward and met the bearlike Grimm head on, charging directly at it as she rolled into a sprint. The first armored paw swiped at her, and she fired again to dodge, shooting herself close to its leg where she began to batter the hard plating, a shotgun blast managing to cause it some pain. The Ursa roared in annoyance and launched its other arm at her, swiping her to the side with a powerful blow. The blonde came up on her feet and cocked her gauntlets back, exposing Ember Celica's gun barrels, before she opened fire, sending two red Dust charges to whistle like fireworks through the air towards the monster and strike it in its back. However, the armor there was thicker, more resilient, and did little more than agitate the beast, which roared again as it charged for her once more.

An overhead paw that would cleave a normal person in two was intercepted by Yang's weapon, her arm straining under the heavy blow. With her free hand, she delivered a devastating uppercut blast to the Grimm's chin, driving it back a step, then proceeded to blast herself up to its torso. A strong kick to the chest pushed the creature back and allowed Yang to flip away. The beast roared and charged in, but the young warrior was too quick, sliding herself between its legs with a blast from her gauntlets before she began to pepper it with fire.

The armor once again caught the blaze of Dust, so Yang darted back towards the massive creature, scoring a quick pair of hits to its jaw as she rocketed to its side. A clawed paw followed her, but she caught it and twisted around to strike the Ursa's jaws again. Now infuriated, the Grimm slashed at her savagely, but each time, she managed to fire herself away. She flew into the air and kicked it in the face, then blasted herself out of range of its arms. However, as she rushed back in, she left herself open for a fraction of a second too long, and the massive, heavy arm slammed into her like a truck, launching her back into the woods and leaving a long furrow in the dirt where she had slid, as well as knocking over a few trees.

All this time, Ruby, who had run into a tree during her unplanned burst of speed and knocked herself out, had remained where she had fallen. Now, she dazedly blinked her eyes open, squinting as the sunlight touched her silver orbs through slivers in the canopy. Woozily, she pushed herself back to her feet and staggered back to the clearing, leaning against a tree at the edge as she looked for Yang. Her sister was nowhere to be found; however, when Ruby saw the large, dark form of the Ursa Major, a small, squeaking gasp escaped her lips before she could cover her mouth.

It wouldn't have mattered if she had remained silent, for the Ursa's attention was grabbed by her sudden spike of fear, and even as the petrified young girl trembled in fear, the Grimm locked onto her and pawed the dirt with a vicious roar.

Yang, just emerging from where she'd been thrown, looked on in terror as the monster bore down on her little sister, who had put her hands up pathetically in a desperate attempt to defend herself. Without thinking, Yang dug in her heels and fired herself forward to intercept the bear.

Ruby cowered away as the Ursa lunged for her, jaws wide to snap her frail body into the air, but a moment later, the young reaper looked on in shock as Yang leaped in between them. The serrated jaws closed down on her big sister's body, causing her Aura to shimmer gold across Yang's form from the intense dip in her protective energy. Like a ragdoll, the Ursa shook its head, and Yang's body, from side to side, flinging her through the air limply as her body flailed. "Yang!" Ruby cried in horror.

However, Yang's eyes snapped open in an instant, now bloodred, and she twisted in the air to plant her feet against a tree trunk before she blasted herself forward with a battle cry, arm reared back to strike as her eyes blazed fire. The Ursa met her attack with its own, claw meeting fist in power as Yang channeled her Semblance's stored power from the attack into her punching limb. The shockwave from the powerful blow blew the trees backward, even flinging Ruby away a short distance as the fighters clashed. In the end, however, the Grimm's arm couldn't withstand the immense power of Yang's attack, and the extreme force of the punch snapped the creature's arm.

The Ursa roared in pain, but Yang's eyes only flared brighter as she fired her gauntlet into the arm and her momentum carried her past the monster. The Ursa's cry faded as Yang's tremendous attack completely vaporized it before it could even hit the ground, while Yang herself bounced along the ground and came to a hard stop against a tree, battered and unmoving.

"Yang!" Ruby cried again as she rushed to her sister's side. "Yang, are you okay? Oh, I didn't know how to help without my scythe! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Yang said a moment later with a breathy sigh, opening her eyes, which were once more lilac and calm. Despite her aching body, Yang smiled up at Ruby. "I've always got your back, sis." For a while, they just stayed there beneath the tree, both glad that the other was okay, while Yang rested from the battle.

* * *

**NOW…**

**Mistralian Forests, Kingdom of Mistral**

_I've always got your back, sis._

The words danced in Yang's head as Anima's tree's whipped by her motorcycle, the world blurring into green and blue around her as she sped through the woods towards her destination. Resolutely, she tightened her grip on the handlebars and accelerated, drawing nearer to her goal by the minute as the golden sun burned down on her from above.


	61. Welcome to Haven

**Chapter One: Welcome to Haven**

**Mountain Tunnels, Mistral**

Qrow took in a slow breath, squinting slightly in the dim lighting. The air was dank and slightly humid, but still comfortably cool in the tunnels. Just how he remembered it. "The City of Mistral…"

"Ugh, it's about time!"

Nora's perky voice echoed off of the high stone ceilings of one of the lantern-lit hallways of Mistral's tall mountains as Team RNJR and Qrow traversed through the passage. "Whose idea was it to walk again?" Nora asked.

"Well," Ren replied by her side, "we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements…"

"Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to _murder _us!" Jaune put in.

Ruby waved a hand. "Pfft, we were fine." She glanced at her uncle, leading the small team, and smiled slightly. "Only one of us almost died."

"Hey," Qrow said, grinning at his niece. Behind them, Nora gave a stern look to Ren, who echoed Qrow as she giggled.

"So how much farther to Haven Academy?" Jaune asked. The team had arrived only a week prior, but, due to Qrow needing to recover from being poisoned on their journey, as well as finding a more permanent place to stay while they were in Mistral, it hadn't been until today that Qrow had finally been able to set up a meeting with Haven's headmaster. Currently, the five were heading towards an opening in the large mountain that spilled into the heart of Mistral. The long tunnel chains stretched through the mountains to connect one side of the large landmark to the other, linking the team's current residence—a cozy house that overlooked the sprawling lands outside of the capital—to the economic and residential center of the Kingdom's capital.

In answer to Jaune, Qrow replied, "Almost there, but I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route."

The group came to the end of the tunnel, marked by a heavy set of wooden double doors. The teens stopped behind Qrow as he approached the doors and used both hands to throw them wide. Everyone squinted for a few moments as blinding sunlight streamed into the dark tunnel. Ruby, first to blink her eyes clear of the light, dashed out onto the opening, a small platform with a wooden balcony with some stairs to the side leading downwards. The young girl's face alighted in a dazzled, wide-eyed smile as she breathed out an awed, "_Wow!_" at the sight before her.

Having grown up in Patch, Ruby had never been exposed to many breathtaking or cosmopolitan sights. As such, when she had first arrived at Beacon, the sheer majesty of Vale and the academy, as well as places like Forever Fall or the Emerald Forest, had amazed the girl. However, the sights of Beacon could barely hold a candle to the surreal city she now beheld.

Mistral had been built in one of Anima's most mountainous regions, with Haven Academy residing at the very top of the two highest peaks as a bridge between the mountains, while the main seat of government, the Mistral High Council, was built deep inside of the mountains' massive, carved-out caves. Below the higher echelons of the city, residential houses, businesses, and markets dotted the base of the tall stone spires. As the rest of Team RNJR and Qrow came up behind her, Ruby's awestruck eyes took in the faroff sights of twisting roads and oriental roofs, as well as emerald hills that rolled into Mistralian countryside outside of the city; nearby, a carved slit in the mountain spewed a crystalline waterfall that cascaded far below and emptied into some unknown spring or lake, sending faint steam to shroud the earth below in white clouds.

Propped up by her hands on the wooden railing, Ruby said the only thing that could come to mind. "This… is _awesome!_"

Behind her, Qrow grunted, amused at her reaction. "It's certainly something."

Down below, Ruby spied a busy marketplace, bustling with people like a tiny colony of ants. Ever the sucker for anything combat-related, she cried, "Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!"

"Vendors here will sell you just about anything," Qrow commented. His sharp eyes glanced down to a shadowy alcove in the marketplace, where two cloaked figures were exchanging something between them. A frown tinged his voice. "Whether they should or not."

Jaune was holding a hand up to his forehead, gawking at the scope of the land. "They really made the most out of these mountains."

"Every inch," the Huntsman said. "Stay away from the lower levels, but the higher up you go, the nicer it gets."

Nora grinned, pointing up at the bridge of Haven Academy, just barely visible through the clouds. "And we are going up!"

* * *

**Airspace over Lake Matsu, Kingdom of Mistral**

The SDC Bullhead knifed easily through the sky, sailing towards the golden sunset just visible over the mountains that ringed Lake Matsu. The twinkling waters below the craft danced with shimmering light, turned a light violet color from the beginnings of twilight. Edmond sighed softly. No matter how many trips he had made to Mistral, the view of Lake Matsu at sundown was a beautiful sight to behold.

"So how much farther?" came the voice of his guest from behind.

"We're in the home stretch now," Edmond replied with a smile. "No more stops from here to Mistral. Sorry for the long trip." He glanced over his shoulder apologetically at the snow-haired girl leaning in the doorway to the cockpit, eyes obscured by his helmet's flight visor. "Keeping us off the radar's been harder than I thought. Lot's of air traffic around northern Anima."

Arms crossed, Weiss Schnee smiled softly. "It's fine. I… just hope I haven't been a burden."

Edmond laughed. Unconsciously, his hand dipped to his wallet, resting in his pocket, which was now thick with the young girl's Lien. "You and your money are more than welcome on this ship, kid." As soon as she'd approached him, Edmond had known he'd gotten a lucky break. Everyone who was anyone could recognize Weiss Schnee, and Edmond himself could also realize that she was very, very rich. So, when the young heiress had come to him, asking for discreet transport out of Atlas to Mistral, he had been more than happy to negotiate what he viewed as a fair price.

Suddenly, there was a small burst of static from the radio. Edmond glanced over at it. "What the…?" He dialed the small frequency knob, trying to clear up the signal.

"Is everything okay?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "We're still over Lake Matsu. Shouldn't be picking up broadcast this far from Mistral. Someone must be close."

Without warning, a woman's voice cut through the static, fuzzy but decipherable. "Mayday, mayday!" she cried, breathless. "We are a small passenger flight, and our Huntress is down! We aren't equipped to deal with this!"

Edmond felt his heart sink. "Oh, man…"

The frantic transmission continued, "The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline." Weiss flinched as an explosion crackled across the radio, accompanied by a cry from the woman. "Get them off us!" she cried to someone on her end of the line. Desperate, she implored, "If anyone can hear this—ahh!" There was another cry and a crash before Edmond's hand switched the radio off, silencing the cry for help with a small click before he resolutely refixed his attention on his flying and dipped the ship to the right.

"We're going to help them, right?" Weiss asked, approaching the viewport from behind.

"What?" Edmond said, surprised. "No! I'm trying to avoid them."

His indifference made her uneasy. "But… they'll die."

"Look," he replied, "if we picked up their transmission, I'm sure someone else did too. Besides, this is a cargo ship. She's not much good in a fight. I just wanna finish this job and get home. Sorry kid. My ship, my rules."

Weiss looked at him for another moment, then shut her eyes, suppressing the protests that had formed in the back of her mind. He was right. He was her ride, and he could cease to be so at any time. Regardless of how she felt, there was nothing she could do. Instead, she followed Edmond's gaze, trying to forget the desperate woman's plea and lose herself in the mixture of purple and gold in the sky.

* * *

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

The air smelled clear and clean at the top of Mistral's mountains, where Haven Academy sat like a cloud-swaddled cradle between the two peaks. Fertile grass bloomed fresh and green, numerous trees springing up healthily despite the high altitude. The buildings of the academy followed the same oriental style of the rest of the capital, with sloped, pagoda-esque rooftops of deep navy and gold. Ruby glanced up as she and her friends walked in front of Qrow across the courtyard of the school, catching a peek of the needlelike spire of Haven's CCT Tower, like a tall lighthouse in a storm.

The pavilion itself was a bit simpler than Beacon's cordoned in on all sides by various buildings of the school and coming to a stop where four stone paths formed a broad circle. Ahead of them, the largest building of the school, where the headmaster's office and main training areas would be, towered before them like the sanctuary of its namesake. Ruby wiped a small tear from her eye and sighed as Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder. "We made it."

The team followed their leader as she started forward towards the large door to the academy. Behind them, Qrow lingered in the center of the courtyard, glancing around. The silence was making him uneasy; there should have been at least some sound, of students talking or faculty walking the grounds. He grunted slightly to himself before he began to walk after them, dismissing his worries as paranoia.

However, upon entering the school, Qrow's fears returned. Outside the excuse could be made, but Haven's main gathering hall should have been busy with people, and the sounds of combat classes should have echoed off the long hallways of the academy. Instead, there was silence, save a gentle breeze that followed them in as the door thumped shut. Haven Academy was a ghost town.

The group made their way upstairs, following Qrow's directions, and the friends began to pick up on the same strange feeling that had been building in the Huntsman's stomach since entering the school grounds. "Hello?" Ruby shouted through the halls, cupping her hands to her mouth. "Hello!"

Nora, a bit confused, supplied, "Maybe try… louder?"

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here," Ren stated matter-of-factly.

"Well," Jaune said, "I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it."

Qrow's eyes narrowed. The students not being here could be explained away, but no teachers…? "No, this isn't right," he muttered. "Come on!" he threw over his shoulder as his gait quickened to a run towards the headmaster's office.

"Wait for us!" Ruby cried as the teens rushed after him.

A few twists and turns later, the group stopped behind Qrow as they reached a hallway ending in a set of oak doors. The elder Huntsman dipped his hand to his sword, snatching it from his back in a combat ready pose. "Get ready," he instructed the kids, who followed suit, weapons all drawn and poised to strike. With a strong kick, Qrow knocked open the doors.

Immediately on the other side of them, as if he'd been about to leave the room, a man in a brown coat recoiled in fear with a frightened shout. "_Ahh!_" Startled, the teens, excepting the ever stoic Ren, also yelped as one, while Qrow, thrown off by the scene and by his unbalanced stance, fell to the floor.

With a gasp, the other man also collapsed, seemingly fainting from fright. Questioningly, Ruby, Jaune, Ren, and Nora all peered down at the surprised teacher. The man was a bit older than Qrow, but not as old as Ozpin, sporting a full, greying brown beard and a bushy head of hair. The brown coat fell down to his thighs, with several golden buttons in the shapes of small crosses. A simple white shirt lay beneath a darker brown undercoat, studded with smaller buttons, and a small Western necktie was knotted neatly at his panting chest.

RNJR lowered their weapons, befuddled. "Umm, Professor Lionheart?" Ruby tentatively asked.

Qrow sat up with a groan at the same time as Lionheart, who was still breathing hard with fear. Angrily, the headmaster glared at the other man with wide eyes. "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!"

Equally perturbed, Ruby's uncle growled as he got back to his feet and stared down at his friend. "_Me? _Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"

"Hmm?" Lionheart's hand dipped inside his coat to a pocket and retrieved a golden, chainless pocket watch. "Oh, right! Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

Qrow stared incredulously at the headmaster, who also regained his footing. "You're joking."

Behind him, the teens put their weapons away. Nora, gazing around the empty halls, asked, "Where is everybody?"

Upon noticing them, Lionheart's face relaxed into a smile. "Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."

Ruby returned the smile. "Yes, sir. Ruby Rose!" she introduced with a slight salute. The rest of the team introduced themselves in turn.

The headmaster chuckled as they concluded, giving a small, polite bow in return. "A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but—"

"_What?_" Qrow cut off in disbelief. Leo flinched as he stepped forwards. "Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"

At Qrow's words, Lionheart's eyes widened. "Qrow, the _children_—!"

"Already know," he finished. "I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?"

The headmaster seemed to miss the question, his eyes travelling to the ground as a hand went to his chin. "You… filled them in?" he repeated, sounding disturbed.

Quietly, behind the two men, Nora leaned over to Ruby. "So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

"_Unbelievable!_" Ghira Belladonna thundered as he threw open the heavy front doors of his manor in frustration with a loud bang.

Behind him followed Sun Wukong, similarly fuming. "Total garbage!"

The man growled as he and Sun both turned to each other. Simultaneously, they cried, "We can't let them get away with this."

As she watched the scene from the doorway, Kali Belladonna smiled wryly. "Well, at least you two can finally agree on something."

At her words, the two glanced at her, then at each other. Sun chuckled slightly, putting a cautious hand to the back of his head as Ghira growled a bit.

"Guys." The three turned to look behind them, where Blake has just ascended the steps. "Everything's going to be okay," she reassured them.

While her family and Sun got settled, Blake headed to the small, private porch outside her father's study, her favorite place to go when she needed to take some time and ruminate. As she slid open the door, a female Faunus with small fox ears turned to greet her, standing guard outside the door with a spear and armor.

Blake smiled as Celeste, a girl barely a year older than her, welcomed her. "Good evening, miss, can I get you anything?"

"Just a little time to myself, if that's alright."

For a moment, Celeste seemed ready to protest, but she swallowed her words with an understanding look. "Sure thing. Just call if you need me." Blake watched her as she walked into the study and slid the door shut behind her. She couldn't exactly blame the girl. Ever since they had discovered that the White Fang was spying on the house, Ghira had called upon an old friend of his, Saber Rodentia, who had been head of Ghira's personal guard while he was head of the White Fang. As the leader of an organization striving for equality, Ghira hadn't always been welcomed with open arms, and threats of all kinds had been common. In response, Saber had taken it upon himself to find a small group of men and women within the ranks that he could trust and formed an official guard for his friend. Upon Ghira retiring to Menagerie after Sienna Khan's popularity had grown, Saber had gone with him, dissolving the guard into the Menagerie police but still remaining close friends with the Chieftain and always maintaining that if Ghira ever needed a favor, Saber would be at his disposal.

Now, Saber had revived the secret service with those who had followed himself to Menagerie, as well as a few like-minded locals like Celeste. There were guards stationed around the house at all times, at least one in every room and all with the intent of making sure the Belladonnas were safe and undisturbed.

Blake let the door close completely, knowing Celeste was just on the other side, and sighed as she allowed the events of the night to wash over her. However, she had barely a moment of silence before a familiar voice said quietly from the side, "You need better security."

Eyes widening and ears curling in alarm, Blake turned as Ilia dropped to the railing beside her without a rustle from the trees, face obscured by her horned White Fang mask. Celeste's name on her lips, Blake moved for the door, but Ilia extended a hand before her own could close on the handle. "Please," the chameleon spy pleaded, "I-I just need to talk."

Blake stared into the impassive eye slits of the mask for a moment before she hesitantly stepped away from the door, still braced for any sign of hostility. After a moment, she spoke, her voice a mixture of accusation and pity. "How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?"

The girl stood from her crouch on the railing, sighing softly. "Blake…"

"Corsac and Fennec _blamed _you," Blake went on. "We confronted them tonight, and they denied knowing anything and everything found on your Scroll; they talked about how _disappointed _they were to hear that you'd sided with Adam." She stared pointedly at her former friend. "But you and I _both _know they're guilty."

Ilia let the pause hang in the air for a moment. "You can't prove anything."

"That Scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it's enough to sway the Faunus here," Blake replied. "When we go public tomorrow, they're not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you."

Ilia's head dipped down as she raised a hand to her face. Grasping her mask, she removed the bony covering and let herself be seen, her light grey eyes conveying desperate emotion as she looked at her friend. "Your plan isn't gonna work Blake. Please… just leave Menagerie before it's too late."

Blake tilted her head. No. She had run away for the last time. "You're going to have to make me."

Ilia absorbed her answer, staring at her a moment longer as her expression stayed the same, regret carved in stone on her face. "I know." Without another word, she once more masked herself and disappeared in the blink of an eye, stepping backwards off the balcony to disappear into the bushes below. Blake turned away, teeth clenched and ears curled to her head in frustration. Why couldn't Ilia see? The anger faded, melting into something like reserved sorrow as Blake let out a long sigh.

Why did they have to fight?

Nothing gained from what she had intended to be a contemplation session save for more questions, Blake turned and entered the study, leaving the trees as a whispering audience to their small confrontation.

* * *

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

The headmaster's office was regal, but still maintained the artistic air that seemed to permeate Mistral. Autumn-colored, the sunlight that streamed in from windows behind a large, mahogany desk gave the large room a homey, comfortable atmosphere. To the sides, a couple of large bookshelves flanked the walls, guarded by a pair of ladders to reach the higher alcoves. All around, boxes, papers, and books were scattered, and Lionheart's desk was no exception, covered in half-graded tests from the absent students and reports from the Mistral High Council.

Ren and Nora were seated to the side, on a small, comfy couch near a coffee table that held an antique, green tea set. Ruby and Jaune had opted to stand behind Qrow, who was currently watching Leo intently as the skittish man sat behind his desk and stared at the clutter.

"I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless," Leo said. "Even for you."

"No," Qrow corrected sternly, "_reckless _is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!"

Lionheart's eyes narrowed, his tone becoming defensive. "There was nothing to check in _about _before the Fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" The headmaster stood from his chair, hands clenched. "Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night," he pointed out. "Everyone was watching—every house in every Kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens… and then nothing."

Leo's face spoke his age in desolate worry lines that creased his forehead and the corners of his mouth. Ruby had looked away, eyes blurred, at the mention of Penny, and Jaune's hand tightened on the pommel of his sword as he relived the night of the Fall as Leo continued somberly. "You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us." He turned and strode slowly over to the window, gazing down at the city of Mistral gleaming like a precious gem from beneath the clouds. "Mistral's territory is one of the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect." He paused, and his voice was softer when he continued, "We lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, staring at the man's head.

Leaning heavily on the windowsill, Leo replied, "We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders." He turned to Qrow pointedly. "I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more, erm, unfortunate tendencies." He sighed. "And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."

Qrow bristled in frustration, voice rising. "All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!"

"Okay! Okay!" Ruby said as she stepped between the two and held up her hands in an effort to defuse the argument. "Things are bad; they're _bad_. But we can figure this out." She looked to Leo. "Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"

In turn, Leo glanced at Qrow. "I thought you filled them in?"

"_Mostly _filled in," Ruby's uncle replied. "Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason." His voice was quieter, however, and he reached into his inner pocket to retrieve his flask for a calming sip.

Leo sat heavily back down in his chair, a weary hand held to his brow before he answered the young Huntress. "The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and _they _are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics."

"What?" Jaune said in surprise.

Qrow joined in on the explanation, staring at his flask. "The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice, and Spring for Knowledge." He took another drink. "Spring is the problem."

"What happened to her?" asked Ren, who had been observing quietly with Nora from the couch.

Leo replied, "She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of the responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She… ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now."

"I… know." Everyone looked to Qrow in shock. "At least… I have a pretty good idea."

Leo's eyes widened as he stood from his chair, his step much more vibrant. "Are you serious?"

Qrow's voice remained grim. "It's not exactly good news."

"What are you talking about?" Leo said with a smile as he rounded his desk and gripped his friend by the shoulders. "This is incredible news! After all these years! Where?!"

Qrow roughly shoved Leo's arms down and turned away from him. "I did some digging around. Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically, the Branwen Tribe."

Leo's face flattened in somber understanding. "Raven."

However, the surprise was evident on all of the students' faces. "Yang's mom?" Jaune said. Ruby gasped noticeably.

"That's right," Qrow said. Slowly, he pulled his Scroll from within his pocket and set it down on the headmaster's desk. The holoprojector on the desk connected to the small device and beeped before a large, holographic map of the Kingdom was projected up into the air. Qrow keyed in some coordinates, causing the map to zoom in on a specific region of Anima outside of Mistral. "That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."

Leo walked up beside him and placed a placating hand on his friend's shoulder. "Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks." He turned to walk back to his chair, but Qrow's fists clenched at his side as he repeated incredulously, "A few _weeks?_"

"That's right," Leo said, his fingers tapping the holoprojector's keyboard and copying the files on Qrow's Scroll before he disconnected the device and sat back down.

"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me," Qrow said, leaning over the other man. "My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is! We need to go as soon as possible!" Angry, Qrow swiped a hand to the side, knocking of a stack of books and papers over onto the floor.

Leo met Qrow's angry glare with one of his own. "And perhaps you didn't hear _me._ This Kingdom is in shambles. 'As soon as possible' does not mean tomorrow. It means, as soon as I can convince the council that I need Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon!"

"Then damn the council," Qrow replied, "we'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers."

"Yeah!" Nora cried enthusiastically as she leaped from the couch, ready to move out at a moment's notice. Ruby pumped a fist in agreement, while Ren tried to be a voice of reason. "Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?"

Qrow paid him no mind, still intently focused on Leo. "We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. And Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight."

Leo looked down at his fingers. "Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched, and I'm not the fighter I used to be." Glancing at the students, he went on, "No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail, Raven and her tribe will scatter, and we'll be lost." Severely, Leo raised a finger. "We get _one _shot at this. And it needs to be perfect."

Qrow stared at the headmaster for a long moment, then gave a resigned sigh. "You know, Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."

"Perhaps you're right. But he's not. I'm doing the very best I can."

"There has to be something we can do," Ruby spoke up.

Jaune followed her lead. "What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?"

Leo gazed uselessly at the boy. "We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."

At his sides, Jaune's fists tightened visibly, his jaw tightly clenched as he stared at the floor. Ruby looked at him in concern, but he stayed quiet.

Finally, Qrow spoke again. "Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."

"I'm sorry," the headmaster apologized. "I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."

"Sure," Qrow said. "We'll stay in the city for the time being." He pulled his Scroll back out of his jacket and waved it with a wan grin. "Local comms are still up. Keep in touch." He turned away, beckoning to RNJR, "Come on, kids," as he slipped quietly from the office.

The teens followed him out single-file, Ruby being the last one. Before she closed the door, she turned and flashed a friendly smile to the man behind the desk. "It was nice meeting you, Professor."

Leo smiled warmly back. "Likewise."

Ruby allowed the door to quietly thump shut after her, leaving Lionheart alone in his office. As soon as the girl was gone, however, Leo slumped in his chair with a hand to his head. A small beep sounded as a holographic, stylized _W _popped up on the desk, opening two-way connection between Leo's office and the receiver on the other end.

The professor winced as Arthur Watt's voice patronizingly said, "_Oh, Leo. We have _got _to work on your improvisational skills._"

Outside in the hallway, Qrow and Team RNJR were oblivious to Lionheart's consternation. "So, what do we do now?" Nora piped up from behind Qrow.

The Huntsman sighed and glanced over his shoulder. "You four go back to the house. I need a drink." Without another word, Qrow left them, disappearing around the corner as RNJR traded concerned looks between each other.

* * *

**Mistralian Bar, Mistral**

Qrow sighed heavily, thinking back to the meeting with Leo. He was still frustrated over how the meeting had gone, but Leo, admittedly, had a point. Qrow may not like it, but there was nothing they could do. The kids had returned home without him at his request, waiting for him to come back from his drink. However, for the first time in a long time, Qrow merely stared into the murky depths of the alcohol, too preoccupied to focus on enjoying the drink.

"E-excuse me?" came a hesitant voice from behind him. A young voice, from the sound of it. Qrow half-turned and glanced over his shoulder, taking in the sight of a young boy in dirty farmhand clothing with a short but messy mop of black hair staring uncertainly at him.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak," the Huntsman said.

The boy looked down at his left arm, shifting slightly. "Shut up, I'm getting there,"

he said, as if speaking to someone that Qrow couldn't hear. The man glanced around quickly to make sure they were alone, then returned his intense gaze to the kid, his interest piqued as he sat waiting for an explanation.

The boy shifted uncomfortably again on his feet "Umm, I'm supposed to tell you…" He looked up at Qrow in confusion. "I'd like my cane back?"

Qrow's face twitched, his eyes going wide in surprise before he smiled, nodding in understanding. Wordlessly, the Huntsman rose, and the boy backed up a step as he waited for Qrow to speak.

Qrow reached to his belt and withdrew the cane he'd been carrying since the Fall of Beacon, a rueful grunt that wasn't quite a chuckle escaping his lips. "It's good to see ya again, Oz."

With that, Qrow tossed the small object to the boy. Oscar reflexively caught it in surprise, gasping as the cane fully extended in his grip before he looked up to Qrow for an explanation.

Qrow smirked. They'd have time to talk. The three of them, together. For now, however, the drink in his hand suddenly seemed lighter than it had a few moments ago, and he slowly raised it to his lips, knowing that in the kid's head, Ozpin was chuckling.

* * *

**Just Rite Gas Station, Kingdom of Mistral**

The old man behind the bar stared at the girl seated before him, peering over the lenses of his glasses as he polished the small shot glass in his hand. The girl was young, probably still a teenager, with a long mane of golden hair that trailed down to her waist. Her hands wore black, fingerless gloves that stretched into long, unzipped brown cuffs. A brown, leather jacket was buttoned twice across her torso, showing an orange crop top across her chest and sleeves that ended just above her elbows, as long as an orange collar that was fixed around her neck. A belt went around her waist outside of her coat at the top of a pair of long, black pants; a purple scarf was tied around her left knee just above a pair of tall brown boots. Interestingly, the area between her right wrist cuff and her sleeve displayed a metal joint, and the tips of her right fingers shined yellow at the end of the black glove as she stared at him from behind a pair of black and gold sunglasses.

Looking uncertain, the bartender asked, "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

Lifting a hand to remove her sunglasses, Yang Xiao Long gave the man an innocent look. "A water? It's hot out."

"Ohh," replied the bartender with a nod of understanding. "Right." He dipped below the counter, rummaging through his supplies. Yang waited patiently, but she felt a wave of disgust pass through her as the man to her left, a shady individual with a sloppy crop of dirty blond hair let out a laugh.

"Are you telling me you're too young to drink?" the man slurred, grinning. "You look like a regular Huntress." His eyes narrowed. "And a beauty at that."

Yang didn't turn towards him. "I'm good, thanks pal."

Undeterred, the man stood from his stool and walked over to her slowly. "Seriously. Not too bulky, not too lean. You're—"

"Just right," Yang said, rolling here "Like I said, I'm good."

Still coming on to her, the greasy-faced man reached out an arm towards her precious golden locks. "And your hair…" Before the offending hand could make contact, Yang's own snapped up to grab it, and as she turned to confront the man, her eyes blazed red. The unfortunate drunk barely had a moment to react before Yang's other, metal fist slammed into his face like a train in anger, sending a broken tooth flying through the air. Similarly, the man himself was thrown backwards and out the door from the force, the small _OPEN _sign flipping around to read _CLOSED _as the door swayed back shut.

The bartender, who had emerged but then ducked back under the counter after the punch, slowly rose and flashed Yang an appreciative smile. "This one's on the house," he said, placing a bottle of cold water on the bar. "He's been driving me crazy."

Yang reached out to take the bottle with her flesh hand, but stopped short as her wrist shook, her heart pounding slightly. Forcing herself to remain calm, she let out a shaky sigh as her metal arm reached over to steady her wrist before grabbing the bottle and tipping it back.

"So, what brings you around these parts?" the bartender asked.

Yang held up a finger as she drank, guzzling the water down until the bottle was empty. Her dry mouth gone, she replied, "Thanks. And I'm, uh, looking for someone."

The man chuckled. "Not too many people come out here. Too far from the Kingdoms. Only person worth notin' round here is… well, Ra—"

"Raven Branwen." Yang sat a moment longer, then grabbed her glasses and slowly strode over to the door. "Thanks again."

Concerned, the bartender called after her, "N-Now missy! You don't wanna go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!"

"So I hear."

The door drifted shut behind her as Yang walked over to Bumblebee, which was parked near the entrance to the gas station. On the ground nearby, the man she had punched outside looked a great deal more sober, holding his mouth painfully as he groaned. Yang hopped atop her ride and revved the engine, but the man called out, stopping her. "Hey, girlie!"

"Seriously?" she said in annoyance. "This isn't over?"

Staggering slightly, the man got to his feet, glaring sinisterly at her as he flashed her a nasty grin, the hole where his tooth had been gaping and black. "I heard you're… looking for someone."

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

The house Qrow had eventually decided on was spacious enough to not be quaint, with separate rooms for all four of the kids. The Huntsman had opted to sleep in the living room most nights, despite Ruby offering him her own bed. Currently, however, Qrow was absent on a drinking run, which wasn't uncommon for him according to his niece, so Jaune, Nora, and Ren were currently sitting together in the living room and quietly chatting as they awaited his return while Ruby took some time to herself in her room.

A knock at the door caught all of their attention, and the three friends looked at each other. Although they were expecting Qrow to be back, the team's time in the wilderness, especially their encounter with Tyrian Callows, had made them increasingly cautious. Qrow had a key; he had no reason to knock. Slowly, Jaune stood and walked over to the door, braced for whatever was on the other side.

What he found was unexpected. Jaune opened the door hesitantly, but was confused when he looked down at their visitor. Before them stood a young boy, younger than Ruby, in weathered farming clothes and with an unkempt head of short black hair. Jaune looked back to his friends, but Nora's shrug and Ren's expression that matched his own showed that they didn't know this boy either.

Turning back to the kid, Jaune asked, "Can I… help you?"

The boy spoke with a stammering, unsure cadence. "Umm… yeah. I-Is there a Ruby Rose here?"

Nora and Ren stood up from the couch, their instincts back on alert. No one knew this boy, and they weren't about to take any chances. "Why?" Nora demanded evenly.

"Well…" The boy looked to his left, startled, as Qrow stumbled into sight next to him, giggling and blithering like an idiot as he grabbed the boy by his shoulders.

"I found him!" Qrow crowed, snorting as he continued with his drunken chortling and staggered into the house, clearly intoxicated.

The boy took a cautious step backwards. "I think her uncle could use some help?"

Qrow stumbled unsteadily and collapsed back onto the couch where Jaune had been sitting moments before, still chuckling and muttering, "I found him," to himself.

"What is going _on _out there?!" came Ruby's angry voice as she emerged from her room, annoyed at being disturbed. "Can't a girl read her comics in peace?" A burp from her uncle drew her attention to him, and she sighed with a hand to her head, as if she'd lived through this before. "Qrow, did you get drunk again?"

"Maybe…" the Huntsman slurred.

"_Woah_."

A small sound of wonder from the doorway caught Ruby's attention, and she finally noticed Oscar standing there and watching them. However, instead of staring uncertainly at Qrow, Oscar was now gazing wide-eyed at Ruby. He took a step further into the room, looking dazzled. "You… have silver eyes."

At the words, Ruby stiffened. She turned a questioning glance onto Ren and Nora, the latter shrugging once more, before she turned back to the boy. "Who… are you?"

Qrow chuckled drunkenly from the couch as Oscar looked down at his feet. "Uh… well. My name is Oscar Pine…"

"Wait for it…" the drunk man slurred.

"But you probably know me as… Professor Ozpin?" the boy finished.

Ruby and Jaune both gasped slightly. Jaune took a step backward while Nora pointed to their unexpected arrival with a skeptical look towards Ruby. Everyone turned towards Qrow as he burst into full laughter, both hands raised above his head in victory. "_I did it!_" the Huntsman cried, before he slumped and rolled off the couch onto the hard floor, unconscious.

**Author's Note: Happy Easter, y'all! God be with you today, and enjoy this early morning gift for you. He is risen! - Jek**


	62. Dread in the Air

**Chapter Two: Dread in the Air**

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

"Are we ready?"

Leo looked up at the voice, snapping out of the dreary, contemplative revere that he had sunk into after Qrow had left with the children. Now, he lifted his head from his hands, but the sight of the speaker did little to lift his spirits. Leo averted his gaze from Arthur Watts, who stood in the doorway and smirked at the headmaster from behind his bushy mustache. Slowly, Leo nodded and stood to his feet.

The two men walked over to the side of Leo's office, where Leo reached out and pulled back one of the numerous books on his bookshelf. A secret lever made a small _click _as gears turned in the wall. Slowly, a large section of the office wall swung open, revealing a dimly lit, secret passage that curved out of view before the end could be seen.

Leo, wringing his hands, walked ahead of Watts as the two entered the hidden sanctum. They didn't walk for very long. Leo nearly cowered as they rounded the long corner and found themselves in a cramped, circular room with a high ceiling that pulsated with dim candlelight. In the center of the room floated the source of Lionheart's dread: a nightmarish, tentacled Grimm with a bulbous black body that hovered over the ground by some unknown means. The headmaster's skin crawled, this not being the first time he'd been forced to enter this room.

If Watts felt any of the discomfort that Leo did from the creature's presence, he was much better at concealing it. "After you," the doctor said, pushing Lionheart roughly forward towards the Grimm.

Voice halting in shaky fear, Leo tentatively asked, "Your Grace, are… you there?"

At his voice, the red fog that swirled within the Seer Grimm's body cleared, revealing a red-tinted but clear image of Salem, who regarded him with mild interest. Over her shoulder, Cinder Fall glowered at the image, but remained silent as her mistress began to speak. "Hello, Leonardo," the dark lady greeted. "Do you have something to report?"

"Of course, ma'am. I would not waste your time, if not," the headmaster replied.

Watt's took a step forward, squinting into the depths of the Grimm's body in curiosity. "I'm still just so fascinated by this creature," he mused as he tapped on the surface with a finger. The Grimm felt cool, like smooth glass. "Cinder dear, are we coming through? Can you see us clearly?" He smirked. "Well, as clearly as you can."

Cinder's hateful gaze became murderous. "_Shut… up_."

Watts' face flattened in disdain. "Oh goody," he said sardonically, "you've recovered." _If looks could kill…_

Salem brought the conversation back on track. "Your report," she directed towards Leo. "What is it?"

Lionheart took a deep breath. "I've… I've found the Spring Maiden."

Somehow, Salem's smile was much more frightening than a frown. "Is that so? Well done…" For a moment, Lionheart looked relieved, until she continued, "Arthur. Had I known how useful you'd be in expediting this process, I would've sent you long, long ago."

The thin doctor glanced down at his fingernails. "As much as I'd love to take credit, ma'am, I can't say that either of us are to thank for this development." His tone was slightly amused. "I guess you could say a little birdie told us."

Salem lifted an eyebrow, interested. "Explain."

"You see, ma'am," Leo continued, "Qrow Branwen arrived at Haven Academy earlier today. He believes Spring has taken residence with his sister's tribe."

Cinder's face was a portrait of simmering rage. "Is… the girl… with him?"

"Yes," Watts supplied, "Miss Rose was in attendance."

Salem glanced towards Lionheart. "And you know of the tribe's location?"

"Yes ma'am! But you have to hurry!" Leo implored. "Qrow is already at odds with my—_aghk!_" Leo was cut off as Salem's pale face glared at him from within the Seer. At some unseen command from her, one of the Grimm's long, red tentacles had snapped up and wrapped itself around his neck like a vise. Lionheart began choking, his hands pulling at the tentacle as he struggled desperately to breathe.

"Leonardo," Salem asked darkly, "do you remember the first time we met?" The Grimm roughly pulled the sputtering man to his knees. "I remember. I remember your fear." Leo's eyes bugged out in his head from lack of air and from terror. "But, since that day, you have been _extraordinarily _brave. I won't forget all that you've done for me." The other tentacles coiled like living whips around the creature's base, one sharp, bony tip held threateningly to Leo's head. "Do not forget everything that _I _can do to _you_."

With that final threat, Salem gestured slightly. The grip on Leo's neck abruptly released, the tentacles retreating as he fell forward and gagged, coughing and gasping for much-needed air. The eldritch woman paid no mind to him, as if he were a discarded puppet with severed strings, as her glowing red eyes shifted to Watts. "Cinder," she instructed, "you and your team will meet with Doctor Watts, and together, convince Raven Branwen that the survival of her people depends on her cooperation. Once you have Spring under control, escort her to the Relic and contact Hazel. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven, and they'll have it once we have what we need."

"Understood," Watts said, turning to leave.

"Not you, Arthur." Salem's voice stopped him. "Tyrian's in need of a new tail."

Watts turned back towards the Seer, confused. "What happened to his old one?"

"_Guess_."

Cinder's voice dripped with venom, and Watts smirked again. "The silver-eyed girl?" The Fall Maiden didn't respond, growling slightly in acknowledgement. To Salem, Watts replied, "It will be done."

"Good," she replied. With that, the image dissolved back into blackness as the meeting ended.

Leo was still on his knees, rubbing his sore throat, while Watts thought over what had been said. Despite his sarcasm with Cinder, the news about Tyrian was… troubling. First besting a Maiden, and then the best fighter in their inner circle? The Rose girl and her friends were proving to be quite the adversaries. "Seems Qrow was right, Lionheart," the doctor mused. "The student's _aren't _pushovers."

* * *

**Salem's Fortress, Unknown Realm**

"You're free to speak your mind," Salem said with a slight smile. Cinder had turned to stare out at the barren wastelands as soon as the connection was severed. Salem regarded her with intrigue, pleased at the hateful rage that boiled beneath the Maiden's skin.

"I don't understand," Cinder admitted, turning inquisitively to her mistress. "Working with bandits? Keeping Ruby alive? What's the point? We're strong enough to take what we want by force!"

Salem turned in her chair towards Cinder, considering her words. She gestured with a hand. "Never underestimate the usefulness of others." Now she grinned. "Take Leonardo: he was one of Ozpin's most trusted, and yet now…" She chuckled darkly.

"You will have the power I promised you when the time is right," Salem continued to the Maiden, "but remember that it comes with a cost. If Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours. There's only so much I can do to aid you."

Cinder glanced down at her left arm, kept hidden within a long sleeve due to the extensive injuries that Ruby had meted out against her on top of Beacon Tower, as she took the words to heart. However, she had her orders, and did not dwell on the past for more than a moment as she bowed respectfully to Salem and walked towards the door, ready to summon Mercury and Emerald and carry out their task.

"And Cinder," came Salem's voice, prompting her to stop and turn. "Before you go, inform Tyrian…" the woman's face twisted into a dreadful scowl, "...that I wish to have a word with him."

Cinder absorbed the information with a sadistic grin and a nod, then turned once more, her heels clicking on the crystalline floor until the door's slam behind her silenced them, leaving Salem alone to await her other subordinate's arrival.

* * *

**Lake Matsu, Kingdom of Mistral**

Weiss stared out the window of the Bullhead's storage bay glumly. The sun was bright outside, shining over the brilliant blue waters of Lake Matus, but the beautiful scenery did nothing to lift her spirits. She still felt guilty about abandoning the other ship to the Grimm the day prior, and nothing Edmond had said to try and assuage her feelings had helped.

Suddenly, the view of the cerulean sky was interrupted by a shadow that drifted across her face. Weiss glanced to the side, but sat up straighter as another shadow appeared, caused by a large rock face that passed by the window and fell behind the ship. Eyes wide with wonder, Weiss gazed further into the distance and noticed that, all around them, hundreds of similar rocks surrounded the ship in the air, floating above the ground as if by magic.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Weiss walked to the cockpit door and entered, staring at the back of the pilot's head. "Where are we?"

Edmond shook his head grimly. "Nowhere good. Passing by some of Lake Matsu's floating islands. The gravity Dust that forms in these things is giving us a little turbulence. Nothing I can't handle, but the islands sometimes hide some nasty Grimm. I'm just betting on our friends in distress keeping them preoccupied."

Weiss felt a spike of indignance shoot through her at his casual indifference, but before she could make a comment, something outside the left side of the viewport caught her eye. Weiss gasped as she recognized the shape of a Mistralian airship hurtling through the air, a fire visibly burning in its engines as it spat a trail of smoke in its wake. "Look out!" she cried to the pilot, pointing at the doomed vessel.

Edmond looked up in surprise but reacted quickly. A frantic shift of the joysticks turned their own ship upward just in time to avoid a fatal collision. The damaged airship knifed down beneath them, crashing to a fiery end into the side of one of the floating islands. The pilot grimaced at the sudden plume of smoke. "You've got to be kidding me!" Quickly, his hand flew to the radio dial, twisting it to allow transmissions to come through.

Just as frantic as before, the voice of the woman from yesterday carried across the airwaves in panic. "By the gods, we lost Percy! Help!" she cried. Weiss and Edmond turned as one as a flash of motion to the side drew their attention. Both watched in horror as a second ship came into view, surrounded by a swarm of white, wasp-like Grimm, each larger than a person. One of the swarm suddenly thrust its abdomen forward, the stinger on the end of its body firing out like a harpoon as it dug into the wooden side of the ship. More of its brethren attached themselves, reeling in the ship like a fish as the woman cried, "We're hooked! We're hooked! Everyone, abandon ship!" However, before the crew could do anything, one of the Grimm rose high above the ship and flew down in a dive-bombing attack. The wasp slammed into the ship like a missile, completely obliterating it in an explosion of sudden fire that rained debris down to the waters far below. Clicking their mandibles, the horde of Grimm turned away from the destroyed ship and turned towards their next target: the Atlesian Bullhead.

"Lancers," Edmond muttered to himself as he worked the ship's controls, "freaking Lancers! Alright, buckle up—huh?" Edmond said, turning to Weiss. However, he pulled up short when he saw her long ponytail disappearing through a hatch in the floor that led down to the main cargo bay, where the ramp could be lowered for unloading.

"What are you doing?" came Edmond's voice in an intercom in the hold, where Weiss snatched Myrtenaster from where she'd left it.

"What we _should've _done in the first place!" she retorted angrily. However, there was no time for blame. "You're carrying Dust, right?"

"Officially, no. Actually, yes."

Weiss popped open a smaller box near her, smiling as the familiar sight of multicolored Dust vials greeted her. "Then when I tell you, open the rear door." Quickly, the former heiress grabbed a handful of the vials and opened up Myrtenaster's Dust canister, loading her weapon with the magical energy. She snapped the sword closed, the canister rotating and stopping precisely under her trained fingers.

The pilot and Weiss both grunted as the ship shifted beneath them from a close dodge with one of the floating islands. "Better make it quick," Edmond said as he took the ship into a sharp dive. The fins of the wings trailed water as he skimmed near Lake Matsu's surface and curved back upwards into the forest of rock and Dust, the swarm of Lancers in hot pursuit all the while.

Around them, the insectoids began to fire off their stingers, Edmond grimacing as the ship shuddered and a stinger glanced off one of their wings. The only thing that kept them from being stuck was the harder metal exterior of the Bullhead, but even Atlesian metal would crumple like aluminum from a direct hit. "Kid! We're cutting it close!" He called back to her.

Weiss assumed a squared stance, a black gravity glyph already spinning at her feet to keep herself in place. "Ready!" she cried. For a brief moment, she squinted against the wind that now flooded the cargo bay, but the gravity glyph held her securely to the deck as she faced down the swarm of Grimm flying after them.

One of the creatures fired its stinger towards her, but a quick wave of wind Dust blew the approaching bug and its friends back a ways. Weiss trailed a hand down Myrtenaster's blade, orange energy streaming at her fingertips, then summoned a fiery glyph before her outstretched palm and opened fire. The blazing charges sizzled into the pack, destroying a few of the Grimm in a ball of fire. From the cockpit, Edmond watched from a camera feed on his dashboard and laughed. "Hold on!" he ordered as he pulled back on the throttle, taking the ship into a tight, downward turn beneath a large island.

Weiss grinned and readied herself for her next attack. With a flick of her wrist, four new, white glyphs appeared in the air before her. At her command, white energy streaked out from the glyphs towards the pack, battering the Lancers like snowy lasers as the young warrior thinned their ranks. Several of the insectoids fell to her attack, but the glyphs disappeared as she stumbled, the ship shifting beneath her feet with a loud bang. "What was that?" she cried to the cockpit.

"We're hooked!" Edmond replied, panicked. Behind him, a white stinger had pierced the cockpit's metal roof, and he flinched as another joined it with the sound of tearing metal. The two monsters that had managed to grapple themselves to the ship landed on the ceiling, mandibles clicking hungrily as they prepared to tear into the Bullhead's circuitry.

Edmond glanced ahead, noticing a particularly large island looming before them. "I've got an idea!" he called. "Hold on!" Now, he pushed the throttle all the way up, gaining speed as they bore down on the floating rock. "Literally."

The pilot tried to drown out the chewing sounds coming from behind him as he raced for the floating island, grunting as he launched into a downward dive at the last moment. The momentum of the ship carried its two unwelcome passengers right into the hard surface, crushing their bodies as the Bullhead left them behind.

Edmond laughed triumphantly over the speakers as Weiss turned. "Can you find a pair of islands we can fit between?" she asked.

"Kid, you are reading my mind!" he replied as the ship zoomed towards just such a formation. Quickly, Edmond tightened his grip. Navigating the path between the two islands would be difficult, with projections of both rock and Dust jutting out to block their path. In the back, Weiss was using her own Dust to full effect, launching a series of fireballs that curved around in front of the ship and crashed into one of the island's sides. The rocky surface crumbled into several large boulders, a rockslide that cascaded down towards the ship and caught the Lancers at just the right moment, crushing the unfortunate insectoids beneath them as the ship raced clear of the narrow trench.

"Yeah!" shouted Edmond. "Great going, kid! We are in the clear!"

Weiss laughed, then let out a small sigh of relief. However, the relief was short-lived as another, louder buzzing sound attacked her ears. Weiss's eyes snapped open, only to widen in horror as a new Lancer emerged into view behind the ship. However, unlike the others, this one was enormous, at least the size of the Bullhead and likely even bigger.

"It's a Queen Lancer!" Weiss cried.

"_What_?!" Edmond shouted.

Weiss regained her focus, summoning up the white energy glyphs once more to bombard the Queen with lances of light. However, the energy was insignificant against the creature's larger mass, merely serving to agitate it further. Two flaps opened on the insectoid's head, beginning to launch small, thornlike projectiles at the ship and its attacker. Weiss managed to summon up her Aura and shield herself from the thorns, deflecting them into the wall behind her. She blanched; the thorns were the size of her head.

Unlike the young girl, the ship had no protective shields. Edmond was jostled in his seat as a group of the thorns managed to make contact with the engines, eliciting a shudder throughout the vessel. "Do something!" he desperately demanded.

Quickly, Weiss turned towards the crates as an idea sprang to her mind. With a gesture, she summoned up a white glyph behind herself, which she leaped onto to propel herself towards the back wall as she sliced through the ropes holding down the shipment. Now behind the crates of Dust, a fresh set of glyphs raised the various boxes and containers into the air. With a cry, Weiss launched the unstable payload out of the bay towards the Queen, causing them to explode with energy once they made contact.

For a moment, the large Grimm was obscured from view by a large cloud of smoke, electricity, ice, and fire. However, when the cloud cleared, Weiss gasped in surprise. Not only was the Grimm still after them, but it didn't even appear damaged, glaring at her with soulless red eyes as it buzzed forwards.

"I can see the shoreline!" Edmond cried from the cockpit. However, seeing how close the Queen was, terror seized him. "Gods! We're not gonna make it!"

Weiss stared out at the Grimm for a moment before she felt her face steel in determination. There was one card she had left to play. Quickly, she went through her Summoning dance, remembering the techniques Winter had taught her and taking a deep breath as she ran her finger down Myrtenaster's blade. Hand radiating with the energy of her Semblance, Weiss twirled and stabbed the rapier into the deck, kneeling as she poured her concentration and power into her final attack.

Before her, two glyphs appeared: one shimmering on the ground, the other spinning above the first. Flecks of white power whirled through the air as the now-familiar form of the Summon Arma Gigas swirled to life amidst a cloud of blue steam. Ready for action, her servant got to its feet and balled its fists as it awaited her command.

"Pull up! Now!" Weiss ordered.

Not bothering to argue, Edmond thrust the throttle once more to its maximum as he brought the ship up, soaring like an eagle into the sky with the Queen close behind. Slowly, the pilot brought the ship into a long loop, the Bullhead hanging upside down in the air for a pair of heartbeats. Weiss and the White Knight both fell to the roof and landed on their feet as the gravity shifted. The hatch beckoned, and at Weiss's silent command, the armor leaped out of the cargo bay and dashed out into open air. Coming to the edge of the ship, the Summon leaped high and tucked its arms close, whistling through the air like a missile as it headed straight for the Queen Lancer.

Edmond righted the ship and watched from a distance as the Grimm mindlessly continued upward, accepting the Arma Gigas' challenge. Weiss tucked her blade to herself and shut her eyes, focusing all of her energy into her Summon. In her mind's eye, she could see through the armor's eyes, could feel herself knifing through the sky towards the large insectoid. At her command, the Knight twirled, its broadsword materializing in hand as it closed in on the Grimm.

At the last possible second, Weiss struck. Right before the armor made contact with the Grimm, it disappeared, vanishing from existence for a moment. The Queen had enough time to be confused before the Knight reappeared beneath her, launching itself up from a snowflake glyph with a powerful, diagonal slash. The armor disappeared again and repeated its attack, appearing form glyph to glyph as it struck the creature's abdomen with deadly precision.

In vain, the Queen fired off her harpoon stinger at the Knight, but the Summon raised its sword and blocked the attack. Finally, the glowing entity fell through the air one last time and delivered the killing blow, slicing directly through the Queen's body as they both disappeared in a yin-yang cloud of white and black energy.

However, the battle was not a complete victory. The blocked stinger of the Queen had veered off-course as it was deflected by the broadsword, instead burying itself in the main engine of the Bullhead. Now, alarms blared throughout the ship as it began to streak downward through the sky, leaving a long trail of smoke in its wake.

Weiss staggered unsteadily, exhausted and unbalanced, but she managed to channel her remaining energy into one final, desperate act of survival. As the wounded Bullhead began its final descent, a trail of gravity glyphs spawned in its path. The ship crashed through each one, but each of the black emblems managed to slow its deadly momentum a little bit more. Weiss caught a glimpse of land beneath them and realized that they had made it to shore. The last thought she had was that she hoped she had enough Aura left to protect her during the crash. Then, a calamity of sound and g-forces buffeted the ship from side to side as she touched down, Weiss felt herself being thrown hard against the side of the cargo bay, and everything went black.

* * *

**White Fang Headquarters, Kingdom of Mistral**

Adam Taurus bowed his head subserviently at the base of the steps, awaiting whatever words Sienna Khan would declare. Behind the cover of his Grimm mask, his eyes scanned his surroundings. The throne room of the White Fang Headquarters was where Sienna conducted all of her formal meetings, and Adam could see why; with vast, high ceilings, bloodred banners bearing the wolf emblem of the organization, and a crimson carpet that led up to the base of the small flight of stairs before the throne, the throne room hall was an intimidating sight to most.

Adam, however, had grown used to intimidation throughout his life, and was unperturbed. After a respectful moment, he lifted his head and met the leader's eyes. Despite his well-known and fearful visage, which had become infamous after the attack on Beacon, Sienna was an imposing figure herself, both in the Fang and to humanity. A tiger Faunus with the ears of the big cat and stripes running down her arms, Sienna's hair was midnight black and flared around her head, longer on her right side. The darkness of her hair brought extra attention to her contrasting, bright orange eyes, which glittered as she regarded him. A black dress clung tightly to her body and stretched into a pair of long pants that ran down to her sandaled feet. A small, red cape draped her shoulders slightly, exposing the dark skin before it trailed down to the back of her neck, and a skirt of the same color hung around her waist. Her ears wore a pair of golden earrings, and two smaller earrings were also clipped to her left Faunus ear, and a ruby red gem stood out in the center of her forehead.

On either side, the leader of the White Fang was flanked by two guards, all holding spears and cloaked in the white mask and tunic and black hood of the organization's soldiers. The four stood at attention, ready to protect Sienna at a moment's notice should danger arise.

Sienna paid the guards no attention as she looked down at Adam severely, having summoned him before her today for the first time since she had sent him to Vale to lead the branch of the White Fang in that region of Remnant. However, upon hearing the news of the Fall of Beacon, Sienna had been livid, recalling Adam to Mistral to explain his actions. Due to his notoriety, however, Adam had been forced to be patient and secretive, taking his time as he retreated to the headquarters and occasionally tangling with the authorities who hunted him, and had finally arrived at the compound less than a week ago.

Sienna's face wore stern disapproval as she stared down at Adam. Though her anger had cooled in the six months since the Fall of Beacon, the woman clearly showed her contempt for Adam's actions. "Adam," she began. "I'm not going to repeat myself, so I want you to listen when I tell you that the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy."

Adam stared up at her, still bowed on his knee. "High Leader Khan, I am begging you."

Sienna's eyes flashed. "You should beg for forgiveness and nothing else! The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was, and you should be more grateful your punishment was not more severe. You are a symbol for many in organization, but that doesn't make you infallible."

Adam lowered his face again. "I was merely trying to follow your example, High Leader."

"And what example might that be?" Sienna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Strength," he replied. "Strength, and unwavering conviction. The humans have seen that strength now."

Sienna leaned back on her throne, sighing softly. "I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary," she admitted. "Peace bred complacency, and acceptance of our place in the world. I will _not _allow humanity to push us down without pushing them back." She glared down at Adam. "But the destruction of the Huntsman Academies crosses a line!

"The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl! And the White Fang is more of a target than ever before!" Intently, she gazed down at the man. "You have justified humanity's campaign against us, and for what? Empty promises from a group of humans?! Humans we still know nothing about, and come and go as they please!" Adam had confided in her about the shadowy syndicate that had approached him with promises of power and justice for the Faunus, and the news had brought the High Leader fresh rage. "These are not examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your talents being diminished by short sightedness!"

Adam waited a moment, then responded. "If you want to know more about the humans, then why not talk to one of them yourself?" The young radical turned and faced the door. "Hazel!" he called.

At the words, both of the heavy doors swung open easily, pushed by Hazel Rainheart's powerful arms. The broad, muscular man strode into the room and grunted towards Adam. "Took you long enough."

Sienna leaped from her seat in outraged shock. "What is this?!" Around her, the guards stepped into a lunge as one, each pointing their spears threateningly towards the new arrival.

Hazel ignored the leader's reaction and calmly walked to stand beside Adam. Even despite Adam's own considerable height, Hazel towered over his Faunus associate. "Apologies," the large human said humbly. "I don't aim to cause any trouble."

Sienna looked to Adam in furious disbelief. "You've brought a human to _this _location?"

"You should hear what he has to say," Adam replied evenly.

"This is grounds for execution!" Sienna cried at him.

"Ma'am, please." The High Leader turned towards Hazel's calm tone. "Nobody needs to die today." Sienna watched warily as the man dropped to a knee before her, as Adam had moments before. "I'm just asking for a moment of your time."

"The longer you stay here," Sienna said, "the less of a chance you have of leaving alive."

Hazel considered her words from his kneeling position. "I'll take those chances, if you don't mind."

After a few, long moments, Sienna reluctantly sat back into her chair; the guards took this as their indication to resume their neutral stance beside her throne. Expectantly, the tiger Faunus waited for Hazel to speak.

Salem's representative rose from his kneeling position. "You don't like me," he began. "You have no reason to like me. But you don't have to like me to get the results you want."

"I'm starting to doubt either of you fully comprehend what it is that I want," Sienna retorted. "I want humanity to fear the Faunus, to know that we demand respect! I do _not _want to start a war with the humans that we cannot win!"

"That's where you're wrong."

Hazel and Sienna both turned towards Adam's deadly voice. The Faunus man began to walk forward, gesturing with his hands as he ascended the wide, flat stairs. "We _can _win a war against the humans. Not only because we have the support of Hazel's master, but because the Faunus are the dominant species of this planet." Adam smiled convincingly as he neared her. "We're better than humans. We have everything humans have and more. Humans shouldn't just fear the Faunus, they should _serve _the Faunus."

Sienna watched him warily as he stopped before her, still tense. "I've had enough of this conversation for tonight. Guards, take them away."

The guards did not move. Sienna looked at them, confused. "I said, take them away!"

Now, Adam's smile carried menace. "I will admit, Sienna, you were right about my popularity. My followers in Vale already see me as the _true _High Leader. And many here in Mistral feel the same." As he spoke, the main doors to the hall burst open as four White Fang soldiers burst in with weapons drawn. Sienna once more rose to her feet, this time in shocked surprise at the sudden betrayal.

"What are you doing?" Hazel asked quietly to Adam.

The usurper stared hard at him. "What's right for the Faunus." He turned and smiled at Sienna triumphantly, making a fist with his hand. "From this day forward, _I _will be the one to lead the White Fang."

From the side doors, four more armed soldiers burst into the room, while around Sienna, her personal guards pointed their spears now at her. Sienna turned and surveyed the room, eyes narrowing at the suddenness of the coup. However, she remained defiant as she said, "If you think I'll just step aside and follow beneath you, you're wrong." She turned towards Adam, only to gasp as something pierced her through the stomach. Eyes wide in pained surprise as her breath shuddered through her teeth, Sienna looked down and found herself impaled on the red blade of Wilt, her own blood beginning to stain the blade deeper crimson. Adam had struck with no warning, catching her off guard before she could summon up her Aura to protect herself.

"I know," Adam said, lifting her effortlessly off of the ground with a horrible, wet squelch as she coughed out a strained "_Aghk!_" and the blade slid deeper into her body. "Thank you, Sienna," Adam continued sincerely, placing a hand on her shoulder as if their close proximity was an embrace. "You were there when our people needed you, but they need me now." He grinned against her ear. "I'm sorry you couldn't see this through to the end."

Though her body trembled from the attack, Sienna had always been a fighter, and would be one to the last. Growling, she began to lift her hand towards his neck, ready to claw for his throat. However, before she could grip him, Adam suddenly stepped back and withdrew his sword in a clean, quick motion. Sienna let out a choking cry before her limp body tumbled violently down the stairs, coming to a stop at the base, where she lay still.

The guards and soldiers all lowered their weapons, while Hazel gazed disdainfully down at the body. His gaze flickered up to Adam as the new High Leader began to call out instructions. "Give our former leader a proper burial. All who were here tonight will claim that Sienna was murdered by a human Huntsman. Sienna Khan will become a martyr for our cause, her final act as High Leader."

The soldiers complied with Adam's request, two of them stepping forward with a stretcher. The two lowered the stretcher to the ground and placed Sienna's body gently onto it, then lifted it back up between them. Bearing the body of their former leader, the Faunus men followed the other soldiers and guards out of the room, leaving Hazel to stare after the stretcher. He closed his eyes regretfully, then turned to Adam. "When were you planning on telling me about that?" he asked, sounding annoyed."

Adam reached behind him and retrieved a black cloth from one of the pouches on his belt and ran the small towel up the length of Wilt slowly and smoothly. "This was my business," Adam said as he cleaned his blade of the woman's blood, "not yours."

"It's our business now," Hazel corrected, "and I don't appreciate you withholding things like that."

"Your master was concerned with Sienna's willingness to cooperate," Adam explained. "Now she doesn't have to be."

Hazel stared at Adam. He didn't appreciate the young man's unpredictability, or his seeming bloodlust. "Nobody needed to die today," he repeated, turning on his heel to walk towards the main doors of the hall.

Adam was left as the sole occupant of the room, settling onto the throne with a malicious smile as he wielded Wilt thoughtfully in his hand. "I… disagree."

* * *

**Shores of Lake Matsu, Kingdom of Mistral**

The world was spinning when Weiss regained consciousness. It took her a moment to realize that the ground below her was dirt, not the metal floor of the cargo bay. Distantly, she realized that she must have been thrown out the open door in the crash as she pushed herself to her hands and tried to ignore the pounding in her head. There was no sign of Edmond anywhere around her, and she didn't know if the pilot was alive or not.

In front of her, two pairs of feet approached and stopped in front of her. Weakly, she looked up at two men. "Help… please," she murmured.

The two men looked at each other, sharing an evil smirk. The one on the right, a man with a cloth covering his left eye and wielding a Dust rifle, asked, "What do you think?"

A woman approached from behind the two men and stared down at Weiss, her red armor matching her crimson eyes that glittered greedily down at the former heiress.

Hair framing her head like a curtain of midnight against the golden, setting sun, Raven Branwen smiled. "I think… we just hit the jackpot."

Weiss had just enough time to draw back slightly in fear before one of Raven's boots rose and met her face, sending her back to the darkness.


	63. Unforseen Complications

**Chapter Three: Unforeseen Complications**

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

The Belladonna Manor was crowded today, the citizens of Menagerie having gathered in front of the community's "town hall" to see what their Chieftain would say. Despite the hot sun, the crowd had swelled with anticipation, Saber Rodentia's guard functioning as crowd control and keeping a wary eye on Fennec and Corsac Albain, who stood to the side of the gathering.

Within the house, Ghira wore a pair of reading glasses and paced back and forth across the room, reading and revising in his mind the speech which he had written on the paper. There were several places that he had underlined or emphasized, and yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that the words were somehow incomplete. Blake and Sun both leaned against the wall nearby, while Kali sat on a small sofa.

Ghira let out a long, heavy sigh and put a hand to his head, but turned as Kali came up beside him and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready?" his wife asked.

"Yes," he said resolutely. "It won't be easy for the people to hear, but the truth often isn't. I know they'll do the right thing."

Blake approached her father's other side and tucked her arm around his shoulder supportively, and Ghira smiled as she nestled herself to him. A third hand landed on Ghira's back, and the Belladonnas turned with a surprised glance to see Sun beaming up at the Chieftain. "You've got this," he reassured.

Ghira blinked for a moment, the corner of his mouth shifting upwards almost imperceptibly. Then, the three others behind him, the Chieftain of Menagerie strode out the door and assumed his position behind a podium that had been set up for the announcement. Ghira briefly met eyes with Saber in the crowd, who stood directly behind Corsac and Fennec with some of his men. The other man, a rodent Faunus with large upper front teeth and a diagonal scar across his right eye, nodded slightly. Ghira returned the motion and then set his attention on the crowd before him. A few members of Menagerie's small news outlet had gathered to the side, Scrolls poised to video and red press badges evident on their chests.

The din of conversation from the masses died down as Ghira lifted a hand to quiet them. When the last sounds had silenced, Ghira began to speak, opening up with, "Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take time to address some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe that it is important for the people of this territory to understand the truth.

"No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the event now known as the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy. A tragedy that will set both man and Faunus-kind back. While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus," Ghira turned and leveled an angry glare towards Corsac and Fennec, who stared impassively back at him, "the leader of a powerful splinter group working inside the White Fang, was partially responsible for these attacks.

"His actions not only tarnished the reputation of an organization originally created to bring peace and equality to all, but to our entire race. With each day that this man remains unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us."

The crowd began to murmur among themselves at the Chieftain's words, and

Ghira raised a hand to quiet them once more before he went on. "Recently, a spy from the same splinter group set their sights on this very home. My own daughter, Blake, and her friend did their very best to apprehend this individual. While they were unsuccessful after being physically assaulted and seriously injured, they were successful in obtaining the assailant's Scroll."

Ghira reached within his purple coat and produced the small Scroll that Blake and Sun had captured from Ilia. "With this, we have been able to ascertain that Adam Taurus has plans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, and take over the reins himself."

The crowd began talking again, this time louder and far more concerned. Though it was a far cry from an uproar, it was clear that this news was upsetting. Ghira let the mutterings continue as he went on, "His radical plans do not stop there. The documents on this scroll proclaim his next target to be Haven Academy and its attached CCT Tower. Their plan is to strike on the last full moon before the beginning of the Fall semester, roughly two months from today. I have sent my swiftest messenger to the government of Mistral, but I believe we have a greater responsibility."

Ghira paused. This was where the speech would become tenuous. "My relationship with the White Fang has been… and interesting one. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where I, and every Faunus who wished, could walk alongside the human race. And while I believe we made great strides toward this goal, it was made clear to me that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results, so I stepped down, and Sienna Khan was appointed as my successor. It's true that I do not fully condone many of her methods. What I do condone is what Sienna fights for: the idea that the Faunus and humans are, and should be, equal.

"Adam Taurus does not seem to have that goal in mind. What he has done benefits no one but himself. I think it's time that the Faunus showed the world that we are equals! Time that we snuff out this splinter group, and restore the White Fang to what it once was!"

The crowd's support had grown as the leader spoke, now becoming open cheering as people cried out in agreement with Ghira and urged him on, clapping.

"To do this, I think the answer is clear. We must go to Haven and protect it at all costs!"

Abruptly, the cheering quieted. The gathering dipped back into uneasy murmurs again, staring up at Ghira as if trying to gauge how serious he was. The leader saw their hesitancy and cleared his throat awkwardly, thrown off by the complete loss of momentum. "Before we proceed any further, I'd like to invite my daughter to come and share her story, not only as a former member of the White Fang, but also as a survivor of the Fall of Beacon."

Blake stepped up to the podium next to her father, who turned to her and leaned away from the microphone. "You can do this," he reassured her."

"_**Traitors!**_"

Ghira and Blake both turned in surprise as the furious cry split the air. In the middle of the crowd, people suddenly backed away warily as a white-cloaked figure hurled their robe into the air and revealed themselves. Blake's eyes narrowed in recognition as Ilia stared up at the platform from behind her mask. By Kali, Sun tensed and glared. "Ilia…"

"Cowards," the girl continued, voice trembling with rage. "After everything the humans have done to us, everything they've put us through, you're asking us to help them?!"

Ghira raised his hands defensively. "I know we haven't been treated fairly—"

Ilia cut him off. "Where was their help when the Dust companies treated our people like slaves?! Where was their help when the Kingdoms hunted Faunus just for being who they were?!" Her voice was raw with emotion as she finished, "Where was _my _help when my parents were killed in a Dust mine?! _Where?!_"

"Young lady," Ghira pleaded, "progress takes patience and cooperation!"

"The Belladonnas are the worst kind of Faunus," Ilia spat back. She turned and addressed the crowd around her. "They want us to work with the _same _people that are trying to hold us down!" Unnoticed by her, Sun was creeping towards her at the edge of the throng. "If you truly, _truly _want to help your people, now is the time to support Adam, not the Belladonnas! He will bring about the future that you deserve. And if you are unwilling to fight, know that the White Fang will do it for you!"

"_Shut up!_" Sun cried, leaping towards her. Ilia whirled quickly and grabbed her weapon from her side, stretching out the light-whip to the side and grappling to a nearby lightpost to escape. Sun landed where she had stood, turning to stare futilely after her as she fled back into Kuo Kuana.

"After her!" Saber ordered his men, who set off in pursuit of the radical girl. Corsac and Fennec watched from the side, unnoticed smiles painting their faces as they clasped their hands. Blake and Ghira watched with Kali from the platform as Ilia disappeared into the ceiling, the father and daughter glaring after her as they realized just what kind of damage Ilia's speech had done.

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

"Did he age backwards?"

"He's possessed!"

"Or reincarnated!"

"Oh! Isn't it weird?"

Oscar Pine looked back and forth among the members of Team RNJR, who were all huddled close to him and leaning in with various expressions of amazement as they spouted off theories as to his nature. The boy shifted uncomfortably in the chair, looking down to avoid their inquisitive gazes. "It is very weird, yes."

"Okay, okay," came Qrow's voice from the kitchen. The four teammates turned to see him entering the room with a wry smile and a cup of coffee, now a bit more sober than he had been an hour before. "Let's all just take a second and remember that this is very overwhelming for everyone."

Ruby, Jaune, Ren, and Nora stepped backwards as one to give Oscar some room, chuckling apologetically. The boy flashed a grateful smile over his shoulder towards the Huntsman. "Thanks."

Ruby and Nora sat down on the couch next to Oscar's chair, while Jaune and Ren remained standing. Oscar glanced to the side, where Ruby's silver gaze caught his eye. She giggled softly, and he blushed with a nervous smile and looked towards his feet. "Ah, sorry! It's just I've never really met Huntsmen and Huntresses before."

"Well, uh… we've never met a person with two souls!" Ruby replied, still smiling. "So, first times all around."

Oscar chuckled a bit as Qrow cleared his throat and took a seat on the other couch. "Not to break up the whole 'getting-to-know-you' game, but we need to have a talk." He looked to Oscar. "Mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?"

Oscar's smile was replaced by a skittish frown as he groaned. "Yeah, okay." He turned towards the friends, who watched him intently. "Just so you know, I'll still be here."

The teens exchanged looks, confused at his words. Oscar took a breath and bowed his head, closing his eyes. Suddenly, a white and green glow illuminated his body from within, covering him in a momentary shimmer of Aura. When the glow passed, Oscar straightened, but as he looked at them, his eyes glowed brighter. His smile held familiarity as he sat back in the chair with uncharacteristic confidence.

Even his voice was different, still that of a boy, but now speaking as if from years of experience and maturity. "It is so very good to see you again, students."

The friends glanced at each other again, even more confused. "Wait," Jaune said, "what just happened?"

Ren looked on with wide eyes. The posture, the voice, the expression. It was almost exact. "Professor… Ozpin?"

"Correct," the boy continued in his new tone. "And although I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present mentally. He's merely handed over the control, so to speak." Ozpin grinned slightly as, in his shared mind, Oscar pleaded, "_Just don't make us do anything embarrassing_."

"I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing," the former headmaster continued.

"And alarming, and bizarre, and just _really _kind of hard to believe overall!" Nora exclaimed beside Ruby.

Ozpin chuckled. "It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor." His smile vanished, and his eyes fell to the floor. "I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry."

Ruby looked at him sympathetically. "I mean, it's not your fault."

Ozpin's position didn't shift. "It's all my fault." Beside him, Qrow stood and walked back into the kitchen. "I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating." His voice was halting as he explained, "I'm… cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating into the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. It's… an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved."

"So who… _what… _are you?" Jaune asked.

"I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant." Qrow walked back into the room with a second mug filled with steaming tea, which he handed to his friend. Ozpin accepted it gratefully, staring at Oscar's eyes reflected back up at him in the dark liquid. "With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another, and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods, because I failed to stop Salem in the past. But we _must _stop her now."

"And how do we do that?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin sat with one leg over his other knee, smiling at her question as he leaned back with the drink. "We start… by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge."

* * *

**Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

Slowly, Weiss blinked herself awake. She winced as she felt her stiff limbs, but when she moved to stretch, she noticed that her hands were tied together in front of her. Confused, she sat up on the hard ground and looked around herself, realizing that she was in a wooden cage with metal bars. The broken moon of Remnant shone brightly above her in the sky, a beacon amidst a tapestry of twinkling stars.

"Heh, heh. Well, well, well, look who's awake," chuckled a voice. Weiss turned, squinting against a splitting headache, and took in the sight of two men sitting on the outside of her cage, one of them with a bottle in hand. The man who had spoke leered evilly at her, his partner sharing the look. There was no sign of Edmond, her pilot.

"Wha… what's going on?" Weiss murmured, disoriented. "Where am I?"

"You know…" came a new voice as a woman emerged from a nearby tent. "I never thought I'd see a Schnee in this camp."

The new arrival was older than Weiss, likely around her sister's age, and met Weiss's gaze with metallic blue eyes. Her hair, tomboyishly short on her head, was brown, and a leather collar of the same color was fastened around her neck. Her white shirt sleeves ended in jagged tears at her shoulders, leaving the rest of her arms exposed; the left arm bore a black tattoo of a bird with its wings upraised. The rest of her clothing consisted of a simple brown vest over the white shirt and deep maroon pants, the right pant left rolled up to her mid thigh, as well as dark brown knee guards that travelled down to a pair of lighter brown boots.

At her appearance, the two bandits quickly stood to attention, one of them muttering, "_Vernal?_" in quiet surprise. It was clear that whoever this woman was, she had the respect of the men. Weiss stood, ignoring the pain in her head, and stared daggers at the woman, who held the heiress' precious Myrtenaster in her hand.

"What do you want?"

Vernal grinned at her. "Straight to the point. I like it." Still examining Myrtenaster, the bandit woman continued, "We don't normally deal in trafficking people—not really worth our time. But, once we realized we had a Schnee…" Vernal pointed the rapier at the captive. "That changed."

"You're going to ransom me back to my father. Is that it?"

Vernal smirked again. "It's a shame you're a Schnee. You'd probably do quite well around here."

Weiss glared at her. "I would _never _sink to your level."

At her words, the smile was wiped from the bandit's face, replaced by an angry scowl. "Just keep quiet and cooperate and you'll be back in your mansion before you know it." She walked past themen towards an open area pst the tents, glancing back towards the trapped heiress. "Don't make this complicated."

"What's going to make this complicated is when my sister finds out I didn't make it to Mistral," Weiss replied. Vernal didn't acknowledge her words. "You know my sister, don't you?" Weiss continued. "Winter Schnee? Special Operative of the Atlas Military? She's in Mistral now, and when she hears I'm missing, it won't take her long to find me." Now it was Weiss who grinned. "_And _you."

There was silence for a moment, Weiss expecting the bandits to start whispering among themselves at her words as she watched them confidently. What she wasn't expecting was for the men, who had watched the entire exchange, to begin laughing. They both snickered rowdily in amusement, much to Weiss's surprise.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

Vernal turned back around, chuckling herself. "Oh, I don't know if it's more funny or sad, but you're clearly out of the loop. Your sister isn't in Mistral anymore."

Weiss's expression faltered in shock.

Vernal continued. "No Atlas personnel are in Mistral anymore. General Ironwood closed the borders and recalled all his little troops and tin cans." She flashed Weiss a look of faux-pity. "No one is coming to rescue you." With that, Vernal walked away from the cage, leaving the still-laughing bandits to guard the shocked heiress as she bowed her head in sadness, a small tear the only testament to her sorrow.

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

"This is _perfect!_" Nora cried, practically dancing with excitement as she leaped from her chair and gestured towards Ozpin wildly. "We were stuck at a dead end, but now we can just take little cute boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!"

It was almost comical to see Ozpin's expression of regal annoyance portrayed on Oscar's face. "Please don't call me that."

"And we're not sure that's the best idea," Qrow continued. Nora groaned as her idea was shot down and moved back to her seat beside Ruby, slouching and crossing her arms crossly.

"But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you," Ren said to Ozpin.

"That _was _the intention," Ozpin affirmed. "Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo." The man in a boy's body stood and walked over to the wall, where a beautiful painting of Mistral hung. Thoughtfully, the former headmaster regarded Haven Academy as he continued, "He's behaving irrationally; he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either. No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way."

"Play things close to the chest," Qrow explained, "until we get a better hand."

"Precisely," Ozpin agreed. "Now, we have two steps ahead of us." He turned back towards the teens and Qrow. "The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen."

"But the Mistral Council—"

"Doesn't own every Huntsman in the Kingdom," Qrow reassured, cutting off Ren's concern, "and I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "So long as they're trustworthy."

"You can trust them to put up a good fight," Qrow replied. "I'll throw together a list tonight." He leaned back and put up a foot on the coffee table, but suddenly, one of the legs broke and the table collapsed under him, surprising Qrow and spilling his coffee.

Nora smirked. "Good luck with that."

Qrow glared at her with a growl before he moved to clean up the mess.

"After that," Ozpin went on, continuing as if he'd never been interrupted, "we can move on to step two."

"What's step two?" Nora asked, standing up with Ruby.

Ozpin grabbed his cane from the chair and deployed it, then turned towards Team RNJR with a gleam in his eye. "Getting you four into fighting shape."

The teens glanced amongst each other, confused. "But, uh, we already know how to fight," Ruby said.

The girl jerked back as Ozpin pointied the cane quickly towards her face. "You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat."

"Well, uh, yeah," Ruby admitted with a sheepish smile.

The cane shifted towards Jaune. "Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your Semblance." Jaune frowned self-consciously as Ozpin addressed them as a whole. "All of you still have a ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces." He put a hand to his chest. "And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura."

"_Wait, what?_" Oscar asked in his mind.

"He'll inherit my muscle memory in time," Ozpin continued, "but practice will expedite the process."

"But if Qrow's out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us?"

There was a blur of movement as Ozpin flipped backwards in the air and landed on the chair he'd been sitting in, twirling his cane skillfully between his fingers. "Well," he said with a smile, "I believe I _was _the headmaster of Beacon Academy." Ren and Jaune both looked shocked at his abilities, Ruby was watching with an amazed smile, and Nora had her hands on her hips with a skeptical eyebrow cocked. "We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven. If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing." The former headmaster stopped twirling his cane. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you."

The boy's body shimmered again, and suddenly, Oscar was back, stumbling and crying out on less experienced feet as he fell backwards in the chair. The teens and Qrow looked at him as he groaned out, "You've gotta be kidding me."

* * *

**Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

The camp was silent, all of the bandits either asleep or out of earshot. The two guards had long since fallen asleep, but Weiss remained awake and alert. As soon as she was sure the bandits were deeply asleep and wouldn't awaken, she turned from the bars of her cage and summoned up a small glyph in her hands. The Summoning circle spun with a delicate white glow as the small, miniature shape of the Arma Gigas formed in her palms, sword resting at its feet.

Weiss couldn't help but smile at the small Summon as it hefted its broadsword, her only friend in the world at the moment as it awaited her command. Her gaze shifted to the metal bars of her cage, then back to the tiny sword. A determined smile springing to her face despite her circumstances, Weiss came up with a plan.


	64. Lighting the Fire

**Chapter Four: Lighting the Fire**

**Near Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

Early morning sunlight sent spears of gold through the leaves of Mistral's forests as Yang sped along down her path, the wind whipping her golden hair behind her. She glanced back over her shoulder. The man from the gas station, of whom she hadn't asked a name, sat on the rear of Bumblebee, as far from her as possible. Yang had been hesitant to allow him to be her guide, but the information he offered was to tantalizing to pass up. However, that didn't mean that she wanted him sidling up next to her.

They had been riding for about a day now, stopping to make camp the night before, but he assured her that they would reach their destination before the end of the day. "How much further, pal?" she asked.

"This should just about do it," he replied as they pulled into a clearing. Yang pulled up her motorcycle short in the center of the clearing as the bandit on her bike hopped off. "You wait here," he said. "I'll go up ahead and make sure the coast is clear."

Yang watched him go, peering skeptically over the rims of her sunglasses as he disappeared into the brush. Shaking her head in suspicion, she dismounted her ride and removed her gloves and sunglasses, appreciating the feeling of the sun on her skin as she stretched her sore muscles, tired from riding for so long.

She tensed at a small _click _from the trees. Instantly, her metal arm snapped up in front of her face, barely catching a round of Dust that exploded against her wrist in a puff of fire. Glaring into the trees, she watched as her former guide returned, grinning triumphantly and accompanied by a half dozen other bandits.

The man chuckled, displaying the gap in his teeth. "I can't believe you were dumb enough to let me lead you here." The group quickly surrounded the rider and her bike, some armed with cleaving swords, others wielding Dust rifles.

Yang kept her cool, evenly surveying the group surrounding her. "Is this everyone?"

The shady man chuckled again. "Yes, little lady, this is it." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Well, unless you count the whole rest of the camp back that way."

Yang pointed in the direction, gazing over his shoulder. "That way?"

The man glanced to his friends, confused. The other bandits shrugged. "Yes. That way."

Yang gazed at him. "Good to know. Thanks."

"Now to pay me back for this tooth," he went on as he stepped forward, "we're going to take your bike." He glowered at her, putting his fist in his palm. "And you're gonna take your lumps."

Yang regarded the group casually, lifting her left hand and glancing at her yellow bracelet. Her fingers forming a fist, she swung her hand down, unfurling Ember Celica's gauntlet into its combat mode. At the aggressive move, the bandits tensed, readying their weapons defensively.

The toothless leader pulled out his own weapon, a small pistol with a sharp butt for close combat. "You got the jump on me last time sweetheart. But you really oughta think twice about fighting all—"

Wordlessly, Yang pressed a small button on her right palm. From within her metal arm, a gun barrel emerged, her replacement for the bracelet she had lost at Beacon. The group backed up a step, murmuring slightly as they saw that their quarry wouldn't back down.

"Alright…" the man said. Turning to his friends, he shouted, "Get her!"

The bandits rushed in as one, Yang slowly walking forward to greet them as she brought her hands up into a boxer's pose. The first made a kick at her, which she blocked with her own leg as she stepped close for a punch to the face. Sweeping her leg, she knocked the bandit off his feet and slammed him into the ground with a Dust-powered punch.

Another swiped at her from the side with a cleaver, but she flipped backwards on her hands and deflected the blade with her legs. Using her blasts to gain momentum, she spun violently in the air, firing a small shot that twisted her opponent on his feet. She blocked a second, upward slash and launched herself into the air, a final kick sending the man flying across the clearing and out of the fight.

Yang landed and shielded herself behind her metal arm as rounds _ping_ed on its surface. The four other bandits were closing in rapidly, the three gunmen all firing at her. Quickly, the brawler dashed out of the line of fire and leaped high, landing atop a woman wielding a sword and knocking her back with yet another kick. From there, she flipped backwards onto the ground, waiting as three of the bandits drew closer. When they surrounded her, she went low and swept with her leg again, the group falling from the violent movement.

A girl came at Yang head on and threw a punch trying to beat the young Huntress at her own game. Yang, however, easily dodged and responded with a tank-like blow from her own, metal limb. A sound behind her alerted her to a new attack, and she snapped her metal hand up just in time to block a sword that was aimed at her shoulder. Quickly, she spun around and caught her attacker's wrist, flipping him high in the air with a devastating uppercut.

Beside her, her former guide had finally joined the fight, aiming his pistol at her face from close range, but she quickly knocked his wrist aside and bright a foot down hard on his own, causing him to cry out in pain before she batted him away. A group of the bandits had gotten back to their feet and attempted to use the diversion to creep up behind Yang, but she quickly turned and sent them all sprawling.

The toothless bandit scrambled to his feet with a growl and took aim at the blonde pummeling his men. The revolver fired, but Yang quickly dodged out of the way, her head snapping back as the red energy whizzed by her face before she turned and glared at the shooter.

Frantically, the man pulled his trigger again, but, in his drunken state from the gas station, he had neglected to properly load his pistol. All the man could do was watch, wide-eyed, as Yang took out the last of the attackers and fired herself straight for him.

Scowling, the man tightened his grip on his pistol and reared back, ready to strike with the pointed butt, but at the last moment, Yang pounded her fist into the ground and fired, sending herself into a graceful pirouette in the air that landed her on the opposite side, where a final, powerful punch launched the unfortunate leader into the last of his standing friends, knocking them both to the ground.

Yang looked around herself, taking in the carnage that she had wrought upon the bandits, who groaned painfully on the ground. Her left hand trembled violently at her side, and she brought it up before herself to grip it tightly with her metal hand until it stilled. With a silent sight, Yang began walking back to Bumblebee as the original bandit clumsily clambered his way to his knees.

"Who are you?" he asked, voice strained with pain. "It doesn't even matter. When Raven finds out what you did, you're dead!"

"Possibly, but I doubt it." She turned and gave him a wry grin. "I'm her daughter, after all."

The man slumped over at the news, watching uselessly as Yang mounted her ride. "I'm dead."

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

Oscar smiled triumphantly as he managed to block a punch from Ruby, but then had to quickly duck as she kicked for his head. He replied with an uppercut, which she dodged, and two hook punches that she intercepted with her forearms.

From the sidelines, Jaune and Nora both watched the two as they danced awkwardly around each other, neither very skilled in hand-to-hand combat but both beginning to catch on. Jaune was particularly impressed with the farmboy. "Man, Oz wasn't kidding. Oscar's picking up on this stuff fast." Ren sat to the side, legs crossed peacefully in meditation.

Oscar came forward suddenly, managing to catch Ruby with a lucky punch right to her face. The girl fell back, holding the sore spot as she growled. Oscar's eyes went wide. "Omigosh, I'm so sorry!" he apologized, but Ruby took the hesitation and delivered a powerful punch of her own to Oscar, who fell back several feet and slid across the ground on his back.

Jaune and Nora winced sympathetically.

"Hah, yes! I did it!" Ruby cried victoriously. However, when the farmboy groaned for a few moments and didn't rise, she turned back towards him in concern. "Oscar?"

Oscar put a hand to his face in pain and annoyance as Ozpin mentally provided, "_You forgot to engage your Aura again_."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Oscar demanded.

"_Because this method makes you less likely to forget._" Oscar sighed and stood to his feet with a groan, and Ozpin had a smile in his voice as he said, "_Mind if I give it a shot?_"

Oscar stiffened slightly, his eyes giving a telltale glow, before he smirked, his posture shifting. When he spoke, it was apparent that Ozpin was now in control. "Not bad, Miss Rose. But Oscar doesn't have the years of training that you do. Or I do." A green shimmer travelled up his body as the headmaster activated their shared Aura, and Ruby suddenly backed away cautiously.

"Oh, ha, well, maybe we should uh… take a break?" Ruby said. However, Ozpin's eyes snapped open with a confident grin as he dashed forward, throwing rapid punches. Ruby managed to block a few, but the fourth caught her cleanly on her cheek. Ozpin leaped high and feinted with another blow, instead twisting to kick her in the face. Ruby stumbled backwards from the attack and growled in frustration, then turned and tried to attack from above. Ozpin, however, merely ducked her arm and came up quickly with a strong headbutt that knocked Ruby flat on her back.

"Ouch," Nora hissed from the sidelines.

"The next time you want to throw a left cross," the Huntsman instructed, "remember to push off with the appropriate foot. And as always, do be aware of any openings."

"Got it…" the girl moaned as she pushed herself up to her elbows.

There was another flicker in the boy's eyes, signifying the return of Oscar, who fell to his knees, tired and panting from the strain on his body.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ruby asked in concern as she hurried over and crouched down beside him.

"How is this so exhausting?" Oscar managed between breaths.

"Your body isn't used to this kind of training," Ren supplied from the side, "not to mention generating a defensive Aura on your own. "It takes intense concentration at first, but in time it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect attacks and gradually heal your wounds." Ren closed his eyes once more. "After that, you can begin focusing on your Semblance, whatever that may be."

"Semblance?" Oscar repeated as he got to his feet.

"You know!" Nora exclaimed chipperly from where she'd suddenly appeared to his right. "Like your very own superpower! Everybody's got one. It's just a matter of finding it and mastering it. Ruby can move super fast, electricity makes me stronger, Ren can mask emotions and Jaune…" She trailed off sheepishly. "Can, uhm…"

Jaune looked down and rubbed his head. "I can't do anyth—"

"Jaune's like you!" Ruby cut him off as she pulled Oscar over to her blond friend. "He hasn't found his Semblance yet, but we all know he will. And you will too. We all just have to try and help each other get stronger."

Oscar looked up into Jaune's eyes in friendliness. "Cool."

"A common philosophy," Ren picked back up, "is that a warrior's Semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define your Semblance, while some claim that it is the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don't see a connection at all."

"It's hard to know when you _know _sometimes," Nora continued. "Ren's Semblance was unlocked from intense stress."

"And mine kicked in during training one day," Ruby said.

"What about you?" Oscar asked Nora.

The bubbly girl casually replied, "Oh, struck by lightning, didn't die. _Crazy _Thursday."

"I just don't understand what's wrong with me," Jaune said dejectedly. "I train, I meditate, but…"

Oscar's eyes flashed as Ozpin took control. "Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over. And the same might be said for all of you." Ren stood and joined his friends as the former headmaster regarded the team. "Unlocking your Semblance isn't the end. It can still grow and evolve. "Provided you're willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen."

Ruby gave a determined smile. "Then let's get back to it."

* * *

**Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

Yang marched purposefully into the Branwen Tribe's encampment, a large, open area scattered with dozens of tents and ringed by a high wall of sharpened tree trunks as a deterrent for the Grimm. Escorting her were a cadre of the bruised and battered bandits that she had tangled with back in the clearing, who were clearly still bearing some resentment from the brawl. The tribe, alerted to her arrival, clustered around and watched with curious expectation as Yang made her way into the center of the camp, facing down a large, red-roofed tent that housed the tribe's leader.

To the side, Vernal ducked out of her tent, cocking an eyebrow at the commotion. Similarly, the two guards who were currently playing cards in a secluded corner of the camp, hurried towards the center of the camp, abandoning their game and their captive for the time being.

Weiss wasn't sure what was happening that had caused such a stir, but she didn't complain at the opportunity. Quickly, she knelt down and Summoned her White Knight, which leaped from her palms with its sword held at the ready. She nodded, and it began to swing the tiny weapon, chipping away at one of the cage's bars that the girl had been working at for the last day. The bar was almost loose, and Weiss got ready for her miniature servant to slice through her wrist bonds once they were ready to make their escape.

Yang was aware of none of this as she came to a stop before the tent in the middle of the crowd of bandits, who all watched with bated breath as the young Huntress awaited Raven Branwen's arrival.

Slowly, the tribal warrior emerged, cloaked in her usual red robes and armor, while her face was obscured by her Grimm mask and framed by the feathery attachment that trailed like obsidian water down her back. The woman paused at the sight of Yang, sizing up the visitor, before stepping fully out of the tent into the daylight.

Yang regarded Raven impassively. "Mom."

The leader's hands travelled up to her head, where she removed the mask and set it to the side. Raven's eyes glittered like twin rubies as she gazed down at her daughter, a slight smile of amusement playing on her lips. "Yang," she said, as if meeting with a colleague. "So, after all this time you finally decided to visit me."

Yang felt a familiar tremble in her arm, but stifled it before it could become too noticeable. "You _know_ that I searched for you. I spent years looking for you."

"And you've found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality." Raven almost sounded impressed. "Well done, Yang." She glanced to the side, took in the sight of Yang's escort, and added wryly, "But did you have to be so rough with my men?"

"I didn't want a fight. They started it."

"Well, you certainly finished it."

Yang didn't reply, so Raven continued, "Right. I'm sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit that you've proven yourself. So any questions you have I'll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I'll even have the cooks whip up something for you."

"That's _not _why I'm here."

There was a murmur through the crowd at Yang's words. Raven's face dipped in disrespected displeasure, her arms crossed. "What was that?"

"I'm not here for you," her daughter replied. "Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She's with Qrow, and she's going to need my help. I just need you to take me to her."

"And why would I do that?" Raven asked.

"Because we're family," Yang replied, mockingly placing her hands to her heart.

Raven scowled and murmured to herself, "Family. Only coming around when

they need something." To Yang, she went on, "I have to say, I'm disappointed. After all, you found me, didn't you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she means that much to you."

"Because you're going to save me time," Yang replied. "Ruby was heading to Mistral, but there's no guarantee she's made it there. Looking for her in Anima could take ages. But…" She grinned. "Dad told me how your Semblance works."

Raven glowered at her feet at that. "_Tai_."

"You could bond to certain people," Yang continued, crossing her arms confidently. "And when you do, you could create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad. One for me." Yang raised an eyebrow. "And you've got one… for Qrow. He promised me he'd watch out for Ruby before he left. And I trust him. So, make a portal for me to my uncle and sister, and I'll be on my way."

Raven looked down from the platform on which her tent stood, regarding Yang with renewed, if reserved, intrigue. "You know, it takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favor of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's very noble to want to help out your sister. But if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause." Raven walked to the edge of the platform and looked away, seeming deep in thought.

"What does that mean?"

"You don't want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang," Raven warned. "Ozpin is not

the man you think he is, and Qrow is a fool for trusting him." She turned back towards Yang. "I would know; I trusted him once too."

"I don't care what you think," Yang replied testily, eliciting more mutters in the crowd. To the side, Vernal looked on, Myrtenaster in her hand.

Raven walked back to the center of the platform as she spoke. "Your choice is your own. All I'm suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for _any _of us, that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you're already where you belong."

"Save your breath," Yang replied. "You could spout off whatever you want, but

_nothing _is going to keep me from my sister."

Raven stared hard at her daughter for a moment, placing a hand on the pommel of her long sword, before she smiled sardonically. "Well aren't you stubborn?"

"I get it from my mom," Yang retorted evenly as she crossed her arms.

Raven let the silence hang in the air for a long pause, her lips slipping into a

frown. "Well if that's how you feel," she replied finally, "then it sounds like we're done here." The tribe leader turned back to her tent flap. "Take her away."

At their leader's words, a group of the bandits began approaching Yang warily, encircling the girl in a menacing ring of guns and steel. Yang stared around in surprise, then looked back up to her mother. "Did you not hear me?" she said incredulously. Raven turned as she prepared to enter the tent and looked at Yang with cold indifference. "I said send me to Qrow, dammit!" Yang shouted, her eyes flaring red in anger.

"That's enough!" cried one of the bandits as outraged murmurs and whispers at

her lack of respect travelled through the crowd. "You watch your mouth in front of our leader!"

Though every fibre of her being screamed to attack, Yang held herself in check and glanced sideways at the man. "Make me."

At the words, the speaker turned to his friends and narrowed his eyes before he rushed forward with a shout and aimed a swing of his blade at Yang's head. Easily, the young Huntress ducked the swipe and reared back with her metal arm, slamming into the man's torso with enough momentum to send him careening backwards into one of the tents, which collapsed from the impact.

However, what had been hidden behind the tent was shocking. "_Yang?_"

Yang turned, her eyes reverting to lilac from sheer shock as she took in the sight of her teammate, dirty and imprisoned inside a makeshift cage. "_Weiss?_"

The crowd, on the verge of attack, paused uncertainly, the action lulling into confusion at the unexpected reunion. Weiss, however, thought on her feet. "Okay, well subtlety is out," she said under her breath. Kneeling down, she smiled and nodded at her Summoned servant. The White Knight obediently dropped to a knee and lowered its sword, growing larger at Weiss's command. Eventually, the wooden ceiling of the cage strained and exploded outwards as the Summon rapidly grew in height, towering even over the tall wooden wall of the camp, which was two stories tall.

Quickly, the bandit whom Yang had thrown into the tent retreated back to his comrades as the ceiling of the cage smashed to the ground and Weiss ran to her friend's side, the Knight obediently following after her. The two friends got back to back with the gigantic Summon behind them, waiting for any sign of an attack from the crowd of bandits.

"What is that?" Yang asked, still reeling slightly from the surprise of finding Weiss.

"Don't worry about it," the heiress replied. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well, that's my mom, and she can take us to Ruby," Yang said, nodding towards

Raven. The tribal leader watched them with a distasteful expression, as if she didn't feel like dealing with this problem right now.

Weiss's eyes widened incredulously. "Your _mom _kidnapped me?!"

Yang, equally shocked, looked at Raven. "You _kidnapped _her?!"

The conversation was cut off before Raven could reply as the hostile audience grew rowdier, beginning to edge towards the two girls. The only thing keeping them from an all-out assault was the Arma Gigas, which glared impassively down at them, but they were quickly gaining bravery as they rushed forward. Trying to take the initiative, Yang, Weiss, and the Knight all turned as one and began to rush the crowd. However, before any real engagement could start, a bolt of lightning struck the ground between the two groups.

"_Enough!_" came the thundering voice of Vernal, echoing around the camp.

Everyone turned to see Raven's lieutenant with an outstretched finger towards the fight, as if she had summoned the lightning.

Raven, in turn, glanced at Vernal. "Thank you." The other woman nodded, before Raven went on to address the tribe and the girls. "If you people don't keep it together, this place will be crawling with Grimm." She looked to Vernal again, who still clutched Myrtenaster in her hand. "Give the girl her weapon back."

Vernal looked at Raven in surprise but didn't question her leader's orders. Obediently, the woman tossed Weiss her rapier, watching as the heiress caught it in her hand and regarded it like an old friend."You two. In my tent. Now."

Yang looked up at her mother suspiciously. "Why?"

Raven considered the question. "If you're really going after your sister, then you

need to know the truth." With that, the leader left the meeting and retreated within her tent. Weiss and Yang stared at the tent as the flap slipped shut behind Raven, while the bandits reluctantly left the two girls where they stood and retreated back into their own dwellings or other parts of the camp.

"Sorry about—" Yang began, but she was cut off by Weiss as the other girl suddenly dropped Myrtenaster to the ground and leaped into her arms, throwing both arms around Yang's neck. Uncertainly, Yang put her arms around Weiss tentatively as Weiss shuddered against her.

"I missed you so much!" Weiss said, her voice thick with emotion as she buried her face against Yang's shoulder. The heiress clung to her friend like a lifeline amidst a stormswept sea, the first sturdy thing she'd had to rely on in months.

Yang smiled, relaxing as she lifted a hand to Weiss's head and closed her eyes. "I missed you too." Both of the friends gripped each other tightly, allowing their shared sorrow from everything since the Fall of Beacon to roll off of them and change into joy. The two stayed like that for a long time, locked into a sisterly hug while the Arma Gigas stood silent guard to the emotional embrace until it flickered away into small particles of twinkling light, leaving the friends alone together to find solace in each other's arms.


	65. A Necessary Sacrifice

**Chapter Five: A Necessary Sacrifice**

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

For some reason, the early morning sun always gave Menagerie's salty air a calming freshness that warmed the soul. Blake nearly gave a sigh of contentment as she breathed in deeply and descended the steps of the Belladonna Manor. However, the task that lay ahead of them sapped her peace like a sponge as she stopped a few steps from the bottom.

"Okay," she said resolutely. She turned behind her, where Sun had paused with her. "Are you ready?"

He gave her an easy smile, his Scroll in hand. "I beat up on giant monsters and robots more than once. I think I can handle getting a few signatures."

She smiled at his optimism, even though, deep down, she knew he was underestimating their mission. Despite Ilia's outburst at the meeting Ghira had called, the Chieftain had remained optimistic about the people's spirits, maintaining that they would do the right thing when called upon. Blake wasn't as certain, but she had agreed to take Sun with her into Kuo Kuana and try to recruit some people from the village to rally with them and travel to Mistral.

With a sigh, Blake turned towards town and began walking, motioning Sun to follow behind her.

* * *

Sun slammed down his coconut cup of fruit juice down on the table in frustration. "I don't get it!" he complained to her. "How can they just sit around and do nothing with the White Fang getting ready to attack?"

Blake was sympathetic to his sentiments. Their morning had been less than successful. Sun had gone from house to house trying to recruit, even visiting the logging sites around the village in an effort to find any able bodies, but the closest thing to success he had gotten was a young ram Faunus named Mata, who had seemed genuinely interested. However, his mother had appeared and pulled him back into their house before he could agree, leaving Sun behind in disappointment.

Blake had fared even worse. The marketplace of Kuo Kuana was always crowded, and had been her first stop. She had climbed atop a platform to elevate herself and implored any who would stop to listen to join their cause, to no effect. Ilia's speech had cowed the villagers, extinguishing any former willingness to help the Belladonnas either out of resentment or fear. Reception at the docks had been equally blank and unresponsive, and when Blake met up with Sun around noon at a fruit stand on the boardwalk, neither of them had gained a single signature.

In response to Sun's frustration, Blake replied, "Because not everyone is like you and me. The Faunus here in Menagerie—the ones that weren't born on the island—moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone." She made a small, scoffing noise. "And here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves."

He seemed to ponder her words. "I guess I never really thought about it like that."

"The problem is," she went on, "whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it's only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere."  
Sun stirred his drink with his straw, slightly uncomfortable. "Adam… He's the guy you used to… work with?"

Blake let out a long sigh. "Yes."

"Sorry," he said quickly, raising his hands, "forget I brought it up."

"No, it's okay," she assured him. He put his hands down as she thought for a moment how to phrase this. Her mind travelled back to a journal she had kept while at Beacon, to a question she had written herself. "Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself, 'They are the personification of _this _word.'"

Sun looked sheepishly confused. "Uhh…"

Trying to explain, Blake clarified, "Okay, well, I remember getting to know Ruby and thinking, 'This girl is the embodiment of _purity_. After a while, I saw Weiss was _defiance,_ and Yang was _strength_."

"What am I?" Sun asked, grasping his drink with his tail.

Blake smiled. "Jury's still out on that one, but I'm leaning towards _earnest._" Sun grinned at her and sipped his drink from his tail, teasing a slight giggle from her before her brow darkened and she went on, "At first I thought Adam was _justice, _then I thought he was _passion._ But over time, I realized I was wrong. He wasn't any of those things. He was _spite; _not _hatred, _not _rage, spite_." Sun gazed at her seriously as she went on, "he won't accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him, and his way of thinking is dangerously contagious. That's what worries me about Ilia. She's not like Adam, not yet at least, but I don't know how long that will last."  
"She was her friend, huh?"

"She was," Blake affirmed. "Her chameleon traits meant she could pass as human. She could've lived a normal life if she wanted, but she didn't." Blake turned to gaze at the people walking along the boardwalk. "I always admired her for that. She lost her family in a mining accident when she was young, then she joined the White Fang. Like me, she was more or less trained on the road alongside the other Faunus. She learned to survive, to defend herself…" Blake played absently with the little, tropical umbrella in her drink, stirring the liquid. "But as people like Sienna and Adam started to gain a following, she became more dangerous. I guess I did too. My parents tried to get me to leave with them, but I refused. I had Adam and Ilia, after all." She winced, remembering how she'd shouted at her parents, hurling claims of cowardice against them before she stormed away to fight the good fight and leave Menagerie forever.

That had been over four years ago, long before Blake had considered leaving and joining Beacon. However, after Adam had become too radical, Blake had become terrified, wracked with self-loathing at what the organization had come to, the things she herself had done in its name. The train had been the last straw, her escape into the life of a Huntress where she could atone for her sins. She had managed to make contact with her parents, over mail rather than by Scroll so that she could avoid their disappointment, and had been shocked and even more hurt at the relief their letters had expressed.

Sun watched her as the past whirled through her mind. "You know we're gonna have to face her eventually," he said gently.

"I know."

"So, what are you going to do?"

She looked up at him, smiling. "I'm going to _try _and help her the way you helped me." His eyes widened in confusion, his tail standing comically stiff behind him. "You showed me that sometimes you need to be there for a friend even when they don't want you to be," she explained. "I was drowning in guilt and fear, I tried to push you away, but you didn't give up on me. And I can't give up on Ilia." Her fist hit the table with a quiet thud of determination. "It's about time _I_ saved _my _friends for once."

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

Oscar Pine gave a fighting cry as he swung down with his cane, finishing the series of strikes that Ozpin had been mentally walking him through and rehearsing with him for the past few weeks. The house being a popular stop for Huntsmen on missions in the Kingdom's capital, it had come with a large training room on the ground floor that displayed numerous weapons racked against the walls and opened up to a terrace which overlooked the distant mountains that ringed the city. The door to the combat room was open wide, letting in a slight breeze that cooled the farmboy as he panted from exertion.

"You're really getting better, huh?" came Ruby's voice from the side. Oscar looked up to see her standing at the base of the stairs that led to the second floor, where the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms were. The young Huntress smiled at him as she beckoned, "Are you hungry? It's almost dinnertime."

"Uh, yeah," he said. "That's sounds good. I was about to call it a night anyway."

"So, you've never fought before?" she asked, her hands grasped in front of her.

"Just the occasional small Grimm," he said, a hand to the back of his head. "Nothing like this, though."

"Wow," she giggled. "You look like a natural."

The boy looked down at the cane in his hand. "It's strange. I've only had this cane for a few weeks, but… I feel like I've had it for a lifetime. Longer, even." He shook his head. "I sound like a crazy person."

Ruby smiled. "I mean, uh, yeah, just a little. But at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time!" Her face froze, her silver eyes blinking in realization of something, before her smile tugged down into a forlorn frown. Oscar, noticing, began to ask something, but paused. Ruby turned back to the steps, her voice noticeably less cheery as she said, "Well, see you upstairs."

"How do you handle all of this?"

Ruby paused before she could take a step, turning back to the boy. "What do you mean?"

"I-I'm… scared," he said, averting his gaze. His voice was heavy, cracking slightly. "I'm more scared than I've ever been in my life, than I ever thought was possible." He strode slowly over to one of the weapon racks lining the walls, where he bag of belongings rested on the floor, and leaned the cane against the rack. "I always knew that I wanted to be more than a farmhand, but this? Who would ask for this?"

Ruby watched sympathetically as a small drop fell from his face to the floor with a quiet _tap_. Oscar sniffed and knelt down to open his bag, grabbing the cane and pressing the lever on its side that retracted the long portion back into the handle as she walked up behind him.

"We all went to Beacon because we wanted to help people," Ruby began. "But, you're right. None of us asked for this either. We just have to press on and—"

"How can you be so confident?!" Oscar demanded, whirling on her suddenly. "People have tried to kill you! The world's about to go to war all over again! How are you okay with _any _of this?!"

Ruby retreated slightly as he stepped forward during his outburst, unprepared for his sudden confrontation. Oscar looked at her expectantly as her face dipped into nostalgic sorrow. "When Beacon fell," she began, "I lost two of my friends: Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos." She turned away from him and walked towards the open door to the outside, closing her eyes in remembrance. "I didn't know them for very long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were two of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. But that didn't save them."

A small smile touched her lips as she clasped her hands to her chest before it sank back into a frown. "Pyrrha thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking. And because of that, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win. And Penny… was killed… just to make a statement."

Oscar stared at her back, now wearing his backpack. "I'm… sorry," he said.

"I _am _scared," Ruby said, turning back towards him with a hand to her chest, "but not just for me. What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She'll kill anybody, and that scares me most of all. Pyrrha… Penny…" Ruby's head fell, and she stared back out at the night sky. "I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt, that I didn't think about them every day since I lost them, that I didn't wish I had spent more time with them. If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do. To keep moving forward." A small breeze blew in from the night and gently waved her tattered cape.

Oscar walked up beside her, the two managing to share a smile. Ruby sniffed and wiped her tears away with her arm. "Come on. If we don't hurry, Nora's gonna eat everything," she said, walking back towards the stairs. A light smile tinged her voice as she added, "It wouldn't be the first time." Oscar stayed where he was a moment longer, her words repeating themselves in his mind, before she said, "Hey, Oscar?" He turned and looked at her on the stairs. "This _isn't _gonna be easy, but the fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think." With that, the young Rose turned and ascended the steps, Oscar watching her until she disappeared from sight.

In his mind, Ozpin, who had remained silent during his tirade and the subsequent conversation, finally spoke. "_She really is remarkable, isn't she?_"

"Yeah," he breathed, smiling as he stared at the space where she had been standing. "She must've been one of the best Huntresses at Beacon, huh?"

Ozpin chuckled. "_In some ways, yes, but in many others… no. She has her quirks, her faults, just like everyone else. But she also possesses something unquantifiable: a spark, that can inspire others even in the darkest of times_."

Oscar's mind bloomed with new understanding. "This must be really hard on her too."

Ozpin's voice was serious. "_It most certainly is._"

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

The room of the small, White Fang stronghold was dimly lit by candlelight, sinister shadows clinging to the corners as the light flickered over two bloodred banners bearing the malevolent wolfshead.

The holoprojector in front of Corsac and Fennec Albain winked off, displaying the words _Message End _before it disappeared. "Your thoughts?" Fennec asked, his hands clasped before him as if in prayer.

"Are of no significance," Corsac replied, similarly posed. "If this is how High Leader Taurus wishes to proceed, then we shall make it so."

"Of course, brother," Fennec replied, sounding reluctant as he added, "Still…"

Before the Faunus man could continue, a knock sounded at the door, and both twins turned. "Come in," Corsac called deeply. The door swung open and closed quietly behind Ilia Amitola as she entered, gazing respectfully at the brothers.

"Sister Ilia," Fennec greeted. "Thank you for meeting with us."

Subserviently, Ilia dropped to a knee. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Please, stand," Corsac bade her, beckoning with an arm. Ilia obeyed, coming to her feet as she awaited his words. The man smiled at her. "We have wonderful news."

"What is it?" Ilia asked.

"We finally received a message from the Mistral brotherhood," Fennec replied with a grin. "The operation was a success. Adam Taurus has claimed his place as the High Leader of the White Fang.

Ilia nodded, relieved. "Good." She looked at them hopefully. "And… Sienna?"

"Buried… with honor," Corsac assured. "The other branches of the Fang have been given the story that was agreed upon."

Ilia sighed regretfully but resolutely. "A necessary sacrifice. We won't forget everything she did for us."

"Indeed," Fennec agreed as they bowed slightly to her in respect.

Corsac continued, "Your maturity and understanding in regards to this matter is appreciated, and it is why we've summoned you here this evening."

"The White Fang is experiencing… a transitional period," Fennec said, testing the words.

"Growth requires change," Corsac explained, and Fennec followed up, "And change can be painful."

"If it's for the betterment of the Faunus, then… it's a pain we can endure," Ilia said surely. "What's our next mission?"

"Containment." Corsac regarded her. "With the CCT towers still inoperable, we have the luxury of control over the flow of information."

"News of Adam's ascension has yet to reach Menagerie," Fennec continued, "but when it does, the citizens of Kuo Kuana will undoubtedly react poorly now that the Chieftain has spoken out against us."

Ilia scowled in self-anger. "It's my fault the Belladonnas had any ground to stand on."

"Do not concern yourself with past failures, Ilia," Corsac reassured her before he smiled. "We have an opportunity for redemption."

"What do you need me to do?"

The brothers gazed intently at her. "The Belladonnas are the only remaining threat to Adam's assault on Haven Academy," Fennec said.

"And so, they must be silenced…"

Corsac's statement hung in the air as Ilia's eyes widened in realization. "S-Silenced?"

"Like Sienna," he went on. "They stand in the way of true progress for our people."

"We would never put such a burden on you alone, of course," Fennec assured. "Your brothers and sisters will be at your side, but your relationship with their daughter makes you an intrical part of this operation."

Ilia's face seemed crestfallen, torn by emotion. "Blake?"

"We know how close you are with young Blake," Corsac said quietly. "Rest assured, High Leader Taurus has requested she be taken alive, but we cannot risk having her present to defend her family."

"But… the people of Menagerie—"

"Will come to understand what happens to those who speak out against the White Fang," Corsac cut her off, raising a fist.

"And will be left without a leader until our victory is complete," Fennec finished.

Corsac stepped forward and placed a firm hand on the torn woman's shoulder, gazing at her meaningfully. "A necessary sacrifice, Sister Ilia."

Ilia looked down at his hand unsurely, then turned to the door. She paused in the doorway for a moment, the put aside her internal debate for the moment and left. The brothers turned back to the message display, gazing thoughtfully at the portrait of a Faunus man, their grandfather, dressed similarly to themselves on the wall.

"She's right to worry about the citizens," Fennec said uneasily, considering their options with a hand to his chin. "It's possible they may come to see Ghira as a martyr."

"It is a risk we must take for our Leader," Corsac replied, before reaching out and reactivating the holoprojector. The message was a recording, brought to the brothers by a messenger due to the CCT systems being down. A lifesize image of Adam appeared before them. The man's attire had changed since they had visited him in Vale, the young adept opting for a tight leather suit and gloves in exchange for his black trench coat, with a long, red sash on his right hip and a black collar. Despite his eyes still being covered by his half-mask, the rage in his voice was apparent.

"I will _not _allow them to ruin this!" Adam shouted. "The Belladonna name has brought me nothing but grief!" In an effort to contain his emotions, he brought a hand to his mask and took a deep breath before he continued with the orders, "You've done well in finding the deserted. Bring her to me, alive. But not before you've slaughtered her family." Distractedly, he added, "I have a promise to keep."

Once more, the message ended, leaving the brothers to stare at the space where Adam had fumed moments before. "He seems… unwell," Fennec noted."

"He carries with him a tremendous burden," Corsac replied.

"Are we sure _he _is the one to lead us?"

"For now. We must do what is best for the Faunus."

Fennec gave a dissatisfied sigh, but another knock at the door sounded before he could give voice to his misgivings.

"Yes?"

The door swung open again at Corsac's call, as a man clad in similar clothing to Ilia's strode into the room, a pair of large, leathery bat wings jutting from his back. Corsac smiled in greeting. "Brother Yuma. Did you see to Ghira's messenger?"

Yuma didn't smile, his voice a gravelly rasp as he reported, "He rests beneath the waves… along with his warning."  
The two brothers smiled evilly at the news. "Then all is well."

**Author's Note: Congratulations, gents and ladies, because I'm in a generous mood today and providing you with a double whammy, as Professor Port would say: two uploads for the price of one! I'm so happy that you've all been sticking by me, and I wanted to give some special thanks to AmericanWildDog, who has been consistently reviewing nearly every chapter as I've uploaded it so far. I currently only have three more chapters to finish writing for Volume 6. Can't wait to see you guys there! Love y'all! - Jek**


	66. Known by its Song

**Chapter Six: Known by its Song**

**Downtown, Mistral**

The sky was bleak, rain drizzling lazily down to earth in an afternoon downpour. Qrow shook himself slightly from the water as he walked into the welcome shelter of one of Mistral's bars.

The bar was located in one of the seedier parts of Mistral's underbelly, with a sign on the outside that read _No Faunus _and one sleeping patron at a table. Qrow gazed warily around, his eyes settling on the bartender, a stern-looking man who was currently whitling a small piece of wood with a kitchen knife. This was the kind of establishment that he had warned the kids about expressly when they had first arrived in the city. However, in his years as a Huntsman, Qrow had been in far seedier bars in much worse parts of town. _This place can't even begin to compete with that one time in Vacuo._

The Huntsman walked up to the bar, the man behind the counter not looking up from his carving as he gruffly asked, "Regular? Or the Special?"

"I'm actually looking for someone," Qrow replied, "goes by the name Shiro Wan. Ever heard of him? I heard he's a regular around here."

"Who's askin'?"

Qrow gave a reassuring grin. "Hey, I'm not some cop, it that's what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig. We go way back."

The man paused with his knife. "Way back, huh?" He finally looked up and met Qrow's eyes. "So he's a friend of yours?"

Qrow put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, remembering a couple of good drinks he'd shared with the other Huntsman. "Hm, yeah, I'd say so. He's a pretty alright guy."

"Well, in that case…" The bartender's hand shot up with blinding speed, scowling and leveling the knife at Qrow as he shouted, "You tell that _jerk _that he better not show his ugly face in here until he pays me the Lien he owes me!"

Qrow backed away, suddenly nervous. "Did I say friend?" He gave a fearful chuckle, "I, uh, I meant acquaintance." The owner paid no heed, slamming his knife threateningly into the bar. "Really, we're just colleagues!" Quickly, Qrow backed up and made his way carefully out the door back into the drizzle, calling over his shoulder, "Anyway, thanks for your time buddy. I'll just be taking off now."

The Huntsman sighed in both relief and disappointment as he leaned back against the door, taking a sip from his flask with shaky hands to calm his nerves. He pulled out his Scroll, pulled up to a page displaying his potential contacts, and crossed out Shiro's name with a sigh. "Great start." As if to punctuate his words, the knife suddenly stabbed through the cloth of the door near Qrow's head, only missing due to his Semblance as he jerked away.

* * *

Later, Qrow approached a small, slum house with boarded up windows in another part of the downtown district surrounded by similarly dilapidated buildings all around. He had been having no success in his endeavor, every location he had for one of his old friends ending up a dead end, and he was becoming dejected.

A group of children was playing nearby, splashing in the puddles and mud as Qrow walked up to the address and looked at the last name he had on his list. "Heather Shields," he mused, remembering the girl from a mission he had undertaken with Summer and Raven in Mistral before his sister had married Tai. They had met Heather at Haven as their guide for the mission; they'd been specially requested by the Mistral High Council due to their status as the best Huntsmen in Vale, to deal with an illegal arms conflict stemming from the criminal underbelly while Haven's own Huntsmen were occupied with a surge in Grimm activity at the Kingdom's border. Heather had struck a good vibe with all of them, perky and witty with a friendly demeanor and good fighting skills to boot.

Qrow reached out a hand and knocked on the door, turning as the kids behind him took off with laughter and ran through the rain down the street. After a moment of no response, Qrow made a fist and banged louder on the door. There was still no reply, and Qrow nearly banged again before the door finally swung open a bit and revealed a man with a thin mustache and a short beard who regarded him blankly.

"Oh, uh, hey there. I'm looking for Heather?" Qrow said expectantly. The man didn't reply, merely gazing at Qrow with an unreadable expression. Qrow's brow furrowed in annoyance. "Look, pal, I've had a rough day. Do you know where she is or not?"

"Daddy?" came a small voice from within the house, and Qrow looked down as a little girl walked out onto the porch beside her father. Qrow stared; the girl was young, barely coming up past the man's knees. She looked up to her father with big eyes. "Does he know where Mommy is?"

Qrow watched the child, his face slackening in shameful realization. He looked back up to the man. "I, um… I'm sorry to bother you," he apologized. The girl looked back up at her father again, then turned back into the house, her head bowing. The man stepped back inside after her, shutting the door as Qrow stood on the porch, his own head bowed uselessly. He turned and strode back out into the rain, drawing his flask from his pocket unconsciously, but stopped before he could make it to his lips. There were many things he had drunk to forget before, but that little girl… he knew no amount of alcohol would erase the scene he had just witnessed.

* * *

Qrow stared up at the Mission Progress boards, displayed in one of the Mistral Council's governmental buildings in the downtown district. After exhausting his list of names from memory on his Scroll, he had travelled to the building to see if there was anyone he had missed or forgotten about that could be checked up on. However, any names he could pick out as familiar were either currently on assignment or MIA. In fact, as his eyes scanned the board, Qrow realized that most of the Hunstmen on display were being reported as missing. Heavily, he sat on a nearby bench and stared up at the list, his eyes travelling to a name. _Wan, Shiro - Mission Type: Search and Destroy._ Like the rest, Shiro's mission was recorded as having been in progress for some time before he had stopped reporting in. Something was amiss, and it made Qrow feel uneasy.

* * *

The door to the bar slid open again, and the bartender's gaze flicked up and took in Qrow as the Huntsman walked in before he refocused on his carving. "You've got a lot of nerve showing up back here, unless you've brought that idiot with you."

Qrow ignored the comment, his voice a forlorn murmur. "How much did Shiro owe you?" His friend had always been one to pay off a debt, and taking on a Search and Destroy type assignment was almost always likely to bring in a big score.

The owner paused as he took in Qrow's expression. "Well, I'd say about… 16,000 Lien."

Qrow might've chuckled under different circumstances. Shiro always _had _been a gambler. Wordlessly, he tossed a Lien card onto the table.

The bartender gazed at him in surprise. "Wait, what? Man, you must be in some serious trouble with him if you're paying _me _off."

Qrow met his gaze severely. "His name is clear."

The owner caught his meaning with a frown. "Yeah," he agreed. Qrow turned and headed for the door as the man scraped the wood a few more times, before he shook his head slightly. "That idiot…"

Qrow bowed his head, knowing that the man understood. "Yeah."

* * *

**Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

It was strange to see something as normal and ornate as a teacup in a camp full of criminals. However, upon the table in Raven's tent rested three cups, with Vernal bending over with a kettle to fill each with tea.

Raven didn't smile at Weiss and Yang, who both looked at her expectantly. She glanced at Vernal once her own cup had been filled. "You can wait outside. Thank you." At the orders, Vernal nodded shortly and set the kettle on the table, departing to leave the two teammates alone with the bandit leader.

"So, what's the 'truth?'" Yang asked, arms crossed suspiciously as her mother lifted her teacup to her lips and took a sip.

The woman lowered her cup. "You know, it's better when it's hot," she suggested.

"You know, you're really obnoxious," Weiss replied at Yang's side, neither of the girls making a move for their cups.

Raven glared at the heiress for a moment, then shrugged slightly and went on, "The truth is that 'truth' is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else." The tribal leader set her cup down. "By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories." She rolled her eyes as she spoke.

"Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before," Yang said.

Raven eyed her daughter. "That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist." Yang narrowed her eyes, but Raven ignored the look as she continued, "You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsman academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place." Raven leaned back on one arm with a small, unpleasant smile. "It's adorable."

"It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do," replied Yang.

"Not _all _of them. Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, but there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen, we did it to learn how to _kill _Huntsmen."

Yang and Weiss both gasped slightly, exchanging a glance.

"Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm?" Raven asked. She reached for the kettle and poured herself some more tea. "Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce." She sipped her tea. "And Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through." She stood and walked away from them a bit as she continued, "We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in."

"What do you mean by that?" Yang inquired.

"Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've." She looked back to them pointedly. "Sound familiar?"

Yang looked at Weiss again, who tilted her head forward in a gesture to keep pressing. "What's your point?" Yang asked.

"How much do you know about Professor Ozpin?" Raven's eyes narrowed. "About his past?"

"He was… a prodigy," Weiss answered, recalling information she'd learned from Atlas tutors at a young age. "One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school."

"Because that's how he planned it," Raven replied. "Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Yang protested, shaking her head. "How could he have… No. Why would someone even do that?"

Raven replied, "Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world." Raven turned and regarded a large map of Remnant that hung on one of her walls. "One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no going back. I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became."

"Okay, then tell us. What's the big secret. What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?"

Raven took a deep breath, still facing the map. "The Creatures of Grimm… have a master named Salem. She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet."

Yang and Weiss stared at Raven's back, both with wide eyes and open mouths. So shocked were they that it took Weiss a few moments to muster, "What?"

Raven turned back towards them, grinning snidely. "You know, you two haven't even touched your tea." She took another sip from her cup as Yang stood up from the table.

"Why should we believe any of this?" the brawler demanded.

"Now you're catching on," Raven said approvingly as she stepped closer to her daughter. "So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you," she leaned down and placed her cup on the table before straightening to meet Yang's gaze severely, "but you need to question everything." She turned away again and walked back towards the map. "Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow…"

Yang's gaze was barely contained rage, her teeth clenched violently beneath narrow eyes. Raven glanced back at her. "And your fool of a father."

The gunshot was so sudden that Weiss recoiled slightly as the table before her shattered, Raven's teacup flying through the air and clattering to a stop by the woman's boot. Yang's eyes blazed red, Ember Celica unfurled at her wrist, as she cried, "Don't you _dare _talk about my family like that."

A click from behind signaled the return of Vernal, who leveled a pistol with a wicked, curved blade at her. "You need to calm down," she ordered coldly.

Weiss gripped her friend's hand. "Yang, please," she pleaded.

"Listen to your friend, Yang," Raven said, smirking. "Your teammate's never let you down before."

Yang wrenched her hand from Weiss grip as she advanced by gradual steps towards her mother. "You don't know the first _thing _about my teammates! About me! You were never there! You _left _us!" She seemed about to strike, before her posture faltered, a flicker of lilac returning to her eyes as her head bowed in useless sorrow. "_Why?_"

Raven didn't respond for a moment, her gaze deadly and settled intently on her daughter's golden head. "I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my _own _eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader; I know people who can come back from the dead; I know that magic is real… and I can prove it."

At Raven's last words, Weiss stood and Yang looked up again. Vernal, sensing the situation had become less intense, lowered her weapon slowly as Raven said, "You said Tai told you all about my Semblance." She turned and walked to the rear of her tent, where another flap opened up into the back of the camp. She turned back to them before she ducked through the flap. "Well I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me."

Weiss and Yang watched her go, then looked to each other, puzzled. They both turned slightly to Vernal for an answer, but the bandit woman merely gestured after Raven. "Go see for yourself." She turned and departed back into the camp, leaving Yang and Weiss in the tent.

The two friends hurried through the flap at the rear of the tent and emerged into an open area crowded with boxes and materials at the edges of the large wooden wall. There was no sign of Raven. "Mom?" Yang called, to no reply.

Weiss watched as the brawler's head shifted back and forth, searching for her mother. "Yang," she asked quietly, "are you okay?"

Yang's metal fist clenched. "I'll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby."

Weiss stared at the fist. Yang kept looking around. "It's okay if… you're not okay," Weiss tentatively suggested.

Yang turned towards the heiress. "You didn't believe what she said, right?"

Weiss looked uncertain. "I… of course not. Well, not all of it. It was crazy; we have Dust, Semblances, but… I mean, there's no such thing as _magic_."

Overhead, a bird cawed.

The two girls' gazes shifted upwards, watching as a black bird drifted through the air above them. Weiss's gaze became more confused. "A raven?"

However, Yang's expression slipped into familiar recognition. "I've… seen that bird before." She recalled a night, so many months ago, when she had pulled up to the entrance to Junior Xiong's club in search of her mother. Above her, flying overhead with an identical cry, had been the same bird. It hadn't been the only time. Her memory flashed back to numerous instances, some even before Ruby had been born, when she had seen that bird spectating her from afar. She had never quite paid attention to it, but now, all of those times morphed together in uneasy coincidence.

"Maybe it belongs to your mom?" Yang barely heard Weiss's suggestion, her gaze narrowing as she watched the bird in the sky. The raven dipped into the trees outside of the camp, slipping wraithlike through the leaves and branches with intelligent grace before it passed behind a large cluster of brush. Yang blinked and let out a small gasp as, in an instant, the bird was replaced by her mother, hurtling forwards through the air as her flight ended and she sailed over the wooden wall, landing before them in a crouch.

The tribal woman's face wore a slightly pleased smirk as she stood to her full height before them. Weiss took a few steps backwards, her expression of pure shock mirroring Yang's. In a soft, awed voice, Yang murmured, "How… did you do that?"

Raven's smirk didn't waver. "Well, _I_ could explain it to you…" She turned and drew her long, red sword, slicing to the side as a whirling vortex of crimson opened up at her Semblance's command. "Or you could ask your uncle."

Yang stared at her in disbelief. "You're letting us go?"

"I'm giving you a choice," Raven corrected as she sheathed her sword. "Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all your questions and more. We can have a fresh start." Yang eyed her suspiciously. "Or…" she stepped to the side, gesturing to the portal, "you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem." She scowled derisively. "And meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?"

Weiss flinched at the words, but Yang's stone expression remained firm and unwavering. _That isn't the_ _point_. "All I care about is making sure my sister is safe."

Raven made a face of displeasure, as if she were disappointed that Yang hadn't seen her reason. "Ugh…"

Within minutes, Yang had Bumblebee driven to the rear of the camp and ready to enter the portal. She pulled Weiss on behind herself and slowly began to drive them both into the portal, Raven watching them distastefully.

"Yang," came her mother's voice, and the young Huntresses both turned to Raven as Yang stopped the bike. Raven's expression was grim. "If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet."

Behind Yang, Weiss rolled her eyes at the words. Yang merely replied, "You weren't kind this time either." With that final remark, she revved her engine and drove them both in, leaving her mother behind as the portal closed at their exit.

Raven sighed in resignation. "I know."

* * *

**Upper Levels, Mistral**

Qrow leaned against the railing to the observation platform, staring out at the sun as it began to sink beneath the world's horizon. "This isn't right," he mused to himself. The statistics on the mission boards had been haunting him since his visit to the plaza. "I get one or two of them, but… all of them?" He sighed heavily, looking down over the edge, before a familiar yet surprising whir split the air. The Huntsman turned, immediately tensing as a red portal formed from nothing. "_Raven?_" However, as the sound of a motor emerged from the murky red depths of the facsimile door and his visitors emerged, Qrow's expression dipped into further surprise. "Oh…"

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

"Alright," Ren said with a smile from his place stirring a large pot of stew at the stove. "The first batch is just about done."

"Awesome!" Ruby replied at his side. "Now we just need Qrow and we'll be all set."

Behind them, Jaune was setting the table to prepare for any potential guests Qrow would be bringing with him, while Nora was chopping up carrots, noisily treating herself to a morsel here or there as she diced. "Do you really think he's gonna bring that many people?" she asked Ruby. "This is a lot of food." She popped another slice of carrot into her mouth, chomping hungrily.

"Uh, I don't know," Ruby replied as she stoked a small concoction in a pan over the stove with a pair of chopsticks, "but it sounds like we could use all the help we can get."

From the living room, there was a quiet slam of the front door. "I'm back!" called Qrow, signifying his return.

"Be right there!" Ruby replied over her shoulder, still cooking.

"You're going to overcook that," Ren noted at her side.

"No I'm not, shut up!" she told him. Ren retreated with a slightly amused smile, waiting for the food to burn.

"Hey, uh, Ruby?" Qrow said again from the living room.

"I'm coming!" she said again, flinching as a puff of blackened smoke wheezed from her pan and the ruined dish. "Fine!" she said to Ren, "you take over." She slid to the side and grasped a small tray containing a tea kettle with a few cups to welcome anyone Qrow had brought as she walked into the living room.

"So, we didn't know how many people were coming," she began as she entered the room, looking down at the tea, "so we just cooked all of it." She looked up to Qrow, but gasped in shock, the tray slipping from limp fingers while the china shattered. Before her, standing beside Qrow in the doorway, were Yang and Weiss. In the small moment of disbelief that followed, Ruby managed to register in the fact that Yang was sporting a cybernetic right arm and that Weiss looked terribly bruised and filthy, grasping her arm sheepishly as they both looked to their team leader.

Ruby faltered unsurely as Yang stepped forward towards her, the younger sister's silver eyes brimming with shining tears. Her voice cracked as she babbled, "Yang, I… I'm _so _sorry! I-I should've stayed, I should've talked to you more, I'd—I just…" The tears began to make lines down her face. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and—"

Ruby was cut off as Yang drew near and pulled her into a tight hug. Yang's own eyes were wet as she clutched her sister to herself. She put her thoughts about Raven, about Ozpin and Qrow, about everything that had happened since the Fall of Beacon to the side and focused on one thought.

_You're safe. I found you_.

Yang remembered a moment over half a year ago, when she'd sat despondently in her bed and harshly told Ruby to leave her alone. She recalled Ruby's last words to her, how she hadn't responded, instead just selfishly worrying about herself and not even considering her sister's feelings.

Finally, Yang answered Ruby's goodbye, pulling her sister tightly to herself as she also began to cry. "I love you."

Ruby began sniffling as she leaned into Yang's arms, sobbing softly. "I love you too."

From behind, Jaune, Nora, and Ren entered, surprised at the sight of Yang and Weiss but eventually settling into smiles as they watched the embrace. Qrow shared their silent sentiments as he too watched the sister's reunion. From the training room stairs, Oscar entered and paused, as if he'd interrupted a private moment, but then he relaxed as Ozpin mentally filled him in, joining the others in silent spectation.

Weiss wiped a small tear from her own eye, smiling with everyone else at Ruby and Yang. After a moment, however, she looked down and away, a sad frown staining her lips.

"Weiss," came Ruby's voice, and she looked up, surprised to see Yang and Ruby, both teary-eyed, extending their hug towards her with open arms. Weiss brought an emotional hand to her face, fresh tears blurring her vision, before she rushed into her friends arms. For the moment, Weiss was not among teammates, but among her family.

For the first time since Beacon, she was finally home.

**Author's Note: ****_Awwwwwww... _"Gold" has been one of my favorite songs since the moment I first heard it, and to hear a gentle acoustic leitmotif of it during the sisterly reunion was absolutely heart melting. Stay tuned for more, and thanks for the support! - Jek**


	67. Rest and Resolutions

**Chapter Seven: Rest and Resolutions**

The mood was nothing short jovial as Ruby, Ren, Nora, Jaune, Weiss, and Yang all gathered around the short table in the kitchen with the large pot of stew that Team RNJR had prepared. Bowls were hastily filled with savory soup as the group of reunited friends chattered happily and began to regale one another with the tales of their exploits since the Fall of Beacon.

Yang laughed as Jaune recounted the story of Oniyuri. "How do you lose your map at a time like that?" she asked.

"Believe me," he replied with a sheepish smile, "I've asked myself the same thing ever since. He gave a small chuckle as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all laughed freshly at his words.

Nora piped up across from him. "Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles!" She turned to Yang and Weiss. "You shoulda seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on!"

"I couldn't have done it without Ruby wearing it down," the blond boy replied humbly.

"Uh, _me?_" Ruby said. "Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!"

Ren appeared embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I may have lost my temper momentarily."

"No, no! Out of control as in 'awesome!'"

"Ohh…" He paused. "Thank you."

The group laughed at his stoicism. Over the course of dinner, more stories were told, and as the pot of stew began to shrink, it became Weiss's turn to tell her story. Everyone sat in wide-eyed, rapturous attention as she recounted the tale of her solitude in Schnee Manor, eventually hanging her head in her hands in embarrassment when she told about the charity ball.

"You did not!" Ruby gasped.

"Yeah," she replied, mortified, "right in the middle of the party."

"_Please _tell me you let that lady have it!" Yang remarked from her right.

"Of course not!" Weiss replied indignantly. "Even if I did really want to."

Nora remained dubious, arms crossed in skepticism. "No way, I don't believe it." However, a moment later, there was a grunt beside Nora, who looked to the side in surprise at the sight of the Summoned Boarbatusk standing next to her. The girl jumped back and fell over from the fright, and everyone, even the ever-mellow Ren, let out a laugh at her antics.

The last of the stew had been nearly been scraped clean when Yang stood and showed off her new addition, which had caught everyone's eye from her first appearance. Everyone stared in awe at the yellow prosthetic as Yang flexed it in display. "It's not a replacement for the real thing," the brawler said, "but I'll make sure to make good use of it."

"That's amazing," Jaune murmured.

"Incredible," Ren agreed.

Ruby's eyes were particularly shiny as she rushed over to her sister's side and touched the arm. "And it's just as strong?" she asked, holding the metal limb up.

Yang grinned. "Hm, sure is."

Both of the sisters looked over towards a loud bang from the table to see Nora staring at them with a challenging grin, her own right arm propped up on the table. "Wanna bet?" the Valkyrie dared.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Nora, please, now's not the time."

She was too late; Yang had already plopped down across from Nora as both girls let out yells and began to arm wrestle. The boys cheered Nora on as they struggled, while Ruby stood next to a disdainful Weiss and rooted for her sister.

"C'mon, sis! You can't lose to a girl in a skirt."

Weiss looked at her blankly. "You wear a skirt, Ruby."

"Weiss, you're not cheering loud enough!" Ruby responded with childlike glee, shaking her teammate by the shoulders as the heiress continued to frown.

"It definitely feels like the original," Nora hissed through a grin. "I'll give you that!" It was no secret that, back at Beacon, Nora had gone up against Yang in this challenge many a time.

"Yep," Yang replied with her own cocky smile. "But, it does have some new features!"

"Heh, oh yeah?" Suddenly, a click sounded from the arm. Nora looked down in confusion before she was abruptly rocketed across the room, still holding onto the arm as she landed against the wall in a dazed heap. Yang's smile turned victorious as the rest of the teens looked on in surprise.

"Did she… win?" Jaune asked of Nora, who groaned. Noticing the limb she held in her hands, Nora screamed and tossed it away. Yang reached up with her good hand and caught it in the air, laughing all the while.

Eventually, the food finally disappeared completely, leaving the friends to clean up their mess. Jaune groaned as he stacked up their bowls inside the large pot and hefted it to bring to the sink. "Ugh, we ate it all… Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Yang chuckled, "Easy there, Vomit Boy. I believe in you."

Jaune gave a sarcastic grin at his old namesake. "Oh, we're doing nickname throwbacks now." He walked around the corner. "Wonderful."

Weiss giggled softly beside Nora at Yang's jab. Nora smirked. "I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it."

Weiss stopped laughing while Ruby burst into a fit of guffaws from the old nickname. Despite herself, Weiss grinned slightly. "I _so _did not miss you people," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Nora gasped. "Oh my gosh, she really does like it! What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?"

"Hey!" Weiss complained. "You make it sound like I used to be terrible!"

"Nah," Yang put in," just a lot to deal with at once."

Weiss _Hmphed _while Yang stuck her tongue out back.

"It's been a long time." Everyone looked towards Ren, at the head of the table. "We've all grown in our own ways."

"You really think so?" Ruby said thoughtfully.

"Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon, would you say you ever did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or do you think you were perfect?"

"Oh, gosh!" Weiss murmured as her head disappeared into her hands again.

"I may have been a little too gung-ho from time to time," Yang admitted.

Ruby scoffed. "You? I tried to 1v1 a Nevermore on the second day of school."

"Yeah, well…" Jaune had walked back in and leaned against the wall. "Don't even get me started."

Ren continued, "Well that embarrassment—that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid—that just proves you're not the same person you used to be. You're smarter, you're kinder, you're stronger, and you're not done growing yet. None of us are."

There was a long pause, before Ruby smiled and turned to Yang. "Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he feels like talking."

Everyone laughed before Nora stood to her feet. "Well hold on," she protested. "I thought I was pretty great in school!""Even at the dance?" Yang reminded her. "When you spilled punch all over yourself in front of—"

"Yes, especially at the dance! Thank you, Yang!" Nora shouted, her Scroll out and playing a video of the night of Beacon's ball as Yang covered her ears from the yelling. Ruby giggled, before a gruff voice carried in from the living room and silenced them all.

"How can six kids possibly make so much noise eating dinner?!" Qrow demanded with a touch of sternness. He appeared beside Jaune, accompanied by Oscar. Nora pressed her Scroll and silenced the song that was playing. Oscar gave a small, uncomfortable laugh, not entirely looking forward to the conversation he knew would follow dinner.

* * *

After the table was fully cleared and dishes cleaned, the group of former students accompanied Qrow and Oscar into the living room. It was strange how quickly the mood became almost somber after the liveliness of dinner. Yang and Weiss both waited expectantly, and Qrow dutifully filled them in, similar to Team RNJR around the campfire a couple of months before, with help here and there from Ozpin, who had taken over for the meeting.

At the end, there was an uncomfortable silence for a handful of moments, before Weiss hesitantly spoke up. "So, the Maidens. Magic. Salem. It's all true?"

Qrow nodded. "Uh huh."

"Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin asked, "is this more or less what your mother told you?"

Yang was silent, her arms crossed in front of her. Weiss glanced at her and took the liberty of answering for both of them. "For the most part."

"You forgot something," Yang said. Turning to Ozpin, she continued, "You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother."

Ruby gave a quiet gasp. Beside her, Jaune turned to Ozpin. "What is she talking about?"

As if discussing an old argument, Qrow's eyes rolled. "Oh, great."

Ozpin appeared contemplative, still managing to look like the formal headmaster despite being hosted by Oscar's farmboy body. "Hmm, that's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily." He attempted to smile at Yang. "Your mother must trust you a great deal."

Yang said nothing, glaring slightly at him. Ozpin gave a weary sigh. "My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain… 'magical' power." He stood from his chair and slowly strode over to stand next to Qrow. "Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins with the ability to 'see' more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I…" He trailed off, smiling slightly. "Well, gave them the ability to turn into birds." The headmaster chuckled. "Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?"

Mentally, Oscar was flabbergasted. "_Wait, what?!_"

Ruby looked uncertainly at Qrow. "Uncle?"

Ren looked equally unsure. "You turned them… into birds," he repeated slowly.

"Alright, now you're just messing with us," Nora shakily chimed in with a cocked eyebrow.

Jaune's tone held reserved bitterness. "What else is new?"

"He's telling the truth." RNJR looked over to Weiss, who looked just as shaken as they were. "We saw it. Yang's mom… _changed, _right in front of us."

Yang stared at Ozpin hotly. "Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is _wrong _with you?"

"Yang, that's enough!" Qrow chastised quietly. "We made a choice. We wanted this."

Yang sank back onto the couch, clearly confused. "May I?" Ozpin asked Qrow. The Huntsman nodded, and Oz approached Yang. "Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear."

"Okay, so, have you done this with others?" Ruby asked from the side. "Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?"

"As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, rather miniscule." He glanced to the side, then explained, "You see, centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens." He allowed a small pause to hang in the air. "Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to… 'play close to the chest.'" The headmaster glanced at Qrow with a slight smile. "I believe that's how you phrased it?"

Qrow chuckled. "Yeah."

"Everyone has a choice," Ozpin went on. "The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest." He gazed around at the group of teens. "Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat." He turned away from them and let them think about his words.

No one moved, watching Ozpin intently. "Very well, then," he said after a moment. However, a moment later, Yang stood.

"Yang?" Ruby said.

"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too," announced the brawler. "If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow alway knows the right thing to do." She glanced at Ruby with a smile before turning back to Ozpin seriously. "But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths."

Ozpin glanced at Qrow, who shrugged at him. After a moment of pondering, Oz looked back to her, smiling. "Understood." Yang sat back on the couch beside Weiss.

"So… what now?" Jaune asked. "I mean, what can we do?"

"Mm," the headmaster mused, "that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow."

Jaune blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it's been far too long since you have all been together." He placed a hand on Yang's shoulder, gazing at her sincerely. "Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment." Despite her misgivings, Yang smiled appreciatively.

Ozpin's eyes glowed, and suddenly, Oscar was back. As the boy noticed his hand on her shoulder, he nervously jerked it back with a small sound of embarrassment. Yang and Weiss both laughed at him.

"_Oooooohhh,_" came a noise of realization from Nora. Everyone turned to look at the bubbly redhead, who had the deductive grin of a master sleuth. "Raven? Qrow?" She glanced around. "They're birds!" she exclaimed. With a cocky smirk, she leaned back and placed her hands behind her head. "Cracked it!" Beside her, Ren sighed softly and shook his head.

* * *

**Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

The front of the bandit camp was guarded by a large gate, only to be opened for returning raiding parties or by Raven's specific command. Before the gate, just outside their base, three bandits talked amongst themselves as they stood guard.

"Hey ugly!" someone called from the woods. The bandits snapped to attention, looking for the source of the voice. The leader whipped out his pistol as his gaze narrowed on a pair of teens that emerged from the woods, a boy with grey hair dressed in silver and black accompanied by a dark-skinned girl with minty hair and crimson eyes.

The girl regarded them. "Is Raven Branwen home?" she asked.

The leader let out a long sigh, his tongue running over the gap in his teeth from where the blonde chick had socked him in the face at the gas station. "Ya know, I've had a real bad week," he growled, "so I think I'm gonna take it out on y—" Suddenly, his grin faltered as two more figures appeared from the darkened shadows behind the original two intruders.

Mercury Black wore a cocky smirk as he turned towards his mentor. "Hmph, doesn't look like he wants to cooperate, Boss."

Cinder gave a small chuckle beside Watts. "Then make him," she ordered.

Merc's nasty grin never wavered. "I was hoping you'd say that." Beside him, Emerald Sustrai walked slowly forward, hands dipping to the holsters on her back as she whipped out her weapons and twirled them on her fingers. With twin, sinister snaps, she deployed her sickle blades and prepared to go to work.


	68. Alone Together

**Chapter Eight: Alone Together**

**Rental Home, Mistral**

Mistral's morning sky was tinged gold and rosy pink by the rising sun, a flock of birds congregating for an early meeting as they fluttered in the sky. Ruby watched them contentedly, laying on her back on the ground outside the training room of their rental home as she stared up at the avian flock. One of the birds swooped over her head, and she followed it with her eyes until she met another pair, framed by golden hair.

Yang smiled at her, upside down. "You're up early."

"Hey, sis," Ruby greeted.

"Boop!" Yang bent over, letting her long mane trail into her sister's face. Ruby giggled as the hair tickled her, then sat up with a small sigh, legs crossed. Yang sat down next to her.

"What are you doing up?" the reaper asked.

"Can't fall back asleep," Yang explained.

"Eh, me either."

"Well fortunately," came Weiss's voice from behind as they both turned to see her carrying a tray with steaming mugs, "coffee exists." She walked over to them and knelt to let Yang take a cup, then moved to Ruby.

The leader held up a hand in mock horror. "No, please!"

"Don't worry," the heiress assured with a roll of her eyes. "I put in blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar just for you." She extended Ruby's cup.

"Aww, yeah, nice Weiss strikes again!" Ruby said with a grin, reaching for the mug.

Weiss pulled back, frowning. "I _will _pour this on you and it _will _burn." Ruby grinned sheepishly and accepted the mug, taking a long sip as Weiss sat down beside her with the last mug.

Yang stared out at the sunrise in slight wonder, hands cradling her cup. "Can't believe we're actually in Mistral."

"_That's _what you can't believe?" Ruby said playfully.

Yang smiled. "Well, yeah, and all the other magic and stuff, but… Okay, you know what I mean."

Ruby took another sip as Weiss said, "I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever see you two again." She extended her glass to Yang.

"Well, here's to defying expectations," the blonde replied, clinking her mug against Weiss's as they both took a long drink from the coffee.

Ruby smiled, but then wilted slightly. "I just wish Blake could be here with us."

There was a small pause, Yang leaning back on her elbows. "Yeah, well, she made her choice."

Weis and Ruby both looked over at her, then traded glances, concerned by the brawler's uncaring tone. "What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"I mean, she could have been here if she just stuck around," Yang said, looking away. "It's no big deal, though. We'll be fine."

"Don't you want her here?" Ruby asked.

Yang regarded her blankly. "Why would I want her here?"

Ruby winced. "Are you… still mad at her for leaving?"

Yang rolled her eyes, her tone bitter. "Oh. Whatever gave you that idea, Ruby? No, I'm totally fine. I'm great."  
Weiss stared at her sharply. "Okay. Calm down—"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Yang snapped, eyes flashing red momentarily.

Weiss and Ruby both recoiled from the sudden outburst. Ruby looked hurt. "Woah, Yang…"

Yang faltered, seeming to realize what she'd been doing, and glanced down to her left hand as her eyes flickered back to lilac. Her fingers trembled around the warm cup. Before her teammate or sister could say anything else, she pushed herself to her feet and walked away. "Whatever." Ruby and Weiss watched her go, once again trading a worried look after she had disappeared into the house.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

An ocean away, the subject of Yang's consternation leaned against the railing of her home and stared out into the trees, shadowed by night and silhouetted by the spotlight of the moon. The frustration of the constant rejection from the citizens was beginning to build Blake's dismay, but she couldn't afford to mope around. They had a job to do.

As if punctuating the point, Sun's voice carried from the study. "Hey, Blake! You ready to go?"  
She turned. "Be right there," she called back, before she stiffened. Her hand ran across a smooth piece of paper taped to the wooden railing. She glanced around unsurely, looking for any sign she was being watched, before she pulled the note away from the railing and unfolded it to read.

"_B. Things going to far. Not sure what to do. Find a quiet spot, I'll find you. Come alone. Please. -I._"

Once again, Blake looked around herself, trying to find any shape from the trees, before she was startled by the door opening behind her. Quickly, she tucked the note into her white coat pocket as Sun joined her on the porch. "We going recruiting or what? We've got the entire nocturnal section to hit up." He paused at her troubled expression. "You okay?"

She looked away. "Yeah, I'll meet you there. I need to take care of something first." She walked past him into the house, leaving him to watch her go with concern. He never noticed, focused as he was on Blake, the slight rustle in the trees surrounding the balcony.

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

In her second-floor room, Yang sat silently on her bed, her metal hand clutching a small photograph between her fingers showing herself and Weiss, Blake, and Ruby all smiling. The picture had been taken shortly after Beacon's initiation, and Ruby had written _New Friends! _with a heart in the corner and sent a copy to their dad in Patch. It was one of the few luxuries Yang had taken with her when she left home, along with a picture of Team STRQ.

Yang stared down into Blake's eyes, troubled by the slight smile on her Faunus friend's lips. Why had she done it? Why couldn't Blake see that she didn't have to run, that Yang didn't blame her? She was always blaming herself, never taking the time to think about if others needed her. Yang knew her words to Weiss and Ruby that morning had been harsh, but they had been true. Time didn't heal all wounds, and it certainly hadn't healed this one.

A knock at the door disturbed Yang's thoughts, and she quickly tucked the picture away. "Yeah?" The door opened, Yang not looking up. "Look, Ruby, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can you just leave me alone for a bit?" Yang looked up to send Ruby away if she persisted, but her eyes widened in slight surprise when she saw Weiss in the doorway instead of her sister. "Oh! Hey, Weiss. Did you need something?"

Weiss didn't reply, but her gaze never strayed from Yang as she shut the door quietly behind her and walked over to the spare bed to sit. After a moment of silence, Yang sighed and began to speak before she could be spoken to. "I know she's our teammate. But I'm not just going to change my mind. I'm sorry, I just… I don't think you know what it's like to be left!" Though she knew it was unfair, the statement had sounded accusatory in her ears, but Yang continued regardless. "You have a giant family, recitals to perform at, dinners to attend! I didn't have any of that. My mom left me. Ruby's mom left too. Tai was always busy with school and Ruby couldn't even talk yet. _I_ had to pick up the pieces." Her hand went to her chest. "_I _had to keep things together. Alone." She finished her solemn soliloquy and looked up to the heiress, who had been silent and was staring at the pillow. "Weiss, if you have something to say, then say it."

Weiss didn't speak immediately, taking a small breath as if to steady herself before she began. "When I was ten, my dad finally admitted to my mom that the only reason he married her was for the family name."

Yang blinked. She hadn't been expecting that.

Weiss went on, "It was actually on my birthday. He missed the big dinner. She got mad, he finally snapped." What struck Yang so much was how casually Weiss said it, not without emotion, but as if it were a story she had long since read and memorized. "I think she already knew. Looking back, I think I knew too." The heiress clasped her hands before her. "But, hearing him say it finally pushed her over the edge."

Weiss stood and walked over to Yang's bed, sitting down beside her teammate, who looked over her shoulder at Weiss. "First, it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals; a glass of wine here, a glass of wine there…" Weiss trailed off sadly. "Then, it was no dinners, no recitals; a bottle of wine here and… well, you get the idea."

Yang felt herself blushing in shame. "I'm really sorry." She turned slightly on the bed, swinging her feet over to sit side by side with her friend. "I… shouldn't have assumed."

"You're right though," Weiss admitted, staring up at the ceiling. "I _don't _know loneliness like you do. I have my own version. And, I'll bet Blake has her own version too."

Yang felt some of her protests return. "She doesn't have to be alone, though. I was here for her; we all were! She chose to leave us." She looked depressedly down at the floor.

"Why do _you _think she did that?"

"Hm?"

Weiss explained, "The entire time Blake was at Beacon, she was afraid to open up to people. She tried to keep her past separated from us. She tried to protect us. Eventually, those walls she put up came down. And the moment they did, the one thing she was afraid of actually happened. The universe proved her right."

"No one blamed her for anything!" Yang countered. "If she had just talked to us, she would've known that! How could I be there for her if she doesn't let me?" Yang felt her eyes clouding. "What if I needed her here for me?" She bowed her head and held her hands to her face, quietly letting the tears flow.

Weiss put a hand on her shoulder, firmly gentle. "I know it's not easy. I wish she hadn't left too. The only thing we can do now is be there for her when she's ready." She smiled. "When she comes back."

Yang lowered her hands from damp lilac eyes. "_If _she comes back."

"She will," Weiss said surely. "Yang... You, Ruby, and even Blake are more like family to me than my brother or even my own father. I would do anything for you three, and I'm willing to bet Blake feels the same way. So, when she's ready," Weiss's hand made a fist of determination, "I'll be there for her. And I know we're not as close, but…" She graced Yang with a comforting smile. "I'm here for you too."

Yang let out a small sigh, eyeing Weiss with gratitude, until a knock at the door alerted them both to Ruby's arrival. The young girl peeked in unsurely. "Is, uh, everything okay?" she asked hesitantly.

Yang turned to Weiss and met her eyes. She thought of Blake and still felt mad, resentful, but now, a new feeling had joined her ponderings: understanding. Weiss's words had worked themselves into Yang's mind, giving her some food for thought that would keep her occupied for some time. The brawler smiled gratefully at Weiss. "Yeah," she answered Ruby, "it is." In the doorway, the reaper sighed, relieved.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

Blake walked into the mouth of the shadowy back alley, a secluded little side street nestled away from the moon by one of Kuo Kuana's taller buildings. Though the note hadn't given her any directions, Blake had come to the alley driven by nostalgia. It was here where she and Ilia had first met at a White Fang rally, and she knew that, if Ilia wasn't watching her, this would be the most likely place for the chameleon girl to be.

"Ilia?" Blake called quietly into the shadows.

A moment later, a voice responded, "I'm here." Blake snatched Gambol Shroud from her back, still wary of a trap, but relaxed when a black figure slowly emerged from the darkness, hands raised. The figure blinked and transformed into Ilia before her eyes, her skin flickering back to normalcy.

Blake smiled, proud of her friend's faithfulness. "Ilia," she said softly, "I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe."

Ilia closed her eyes and looked away. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Blake's tone was reassuring as she replied, "You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsac and Fennec."

"No." Ilia looked back at Blake, face hardening. "I'm sorry." Her right, gloved hand formed a fist. Blake looked at her for a second, confused, until she heard footsteps approaching from the rooftop above her. She gasped in surprise and looked up to see a Faunus man with bat wings jumping down at her. Before she could move, Blake was pinned beneath him on the ground as he landed hard on her back and knocked the wind from her lungs.

Blake gasped in both surprise and pain as Yuma flapped his wings and flitted back off of her. With him were two more Faunus, a woman with short grey hair and grey veins travelling down her arms and a man with scales on his face. Blake grunted as she pushed herself painfully to her hands and knees and slowly got back to her feet, her gaze desperate and imploring to Ilia. "W-Wait—!" Blake felt something smack into her back with enough force to knock her over. She stretched her arms to catch herself but found them suddenly pinned to her sides as she slammed hard onto the ground with a cry. She looked down and realized that she had been bound by a tough, rubbery web that had shot from the woman's fingers, the Faunus trait of a spider.

"I've got her," the Spider Faunus said coldly.

"Well done, Sister Trifa," Yuma commended beside her. "And to you, Ilia," he added, grasping her weapon on his belt and tossing it to her. The spy caught it with ease and looked down at Blake with a mixture of regret and resolve.

"Ilia! What are you doing?!" Blake cried, restrained by the webbing.

"I tried to warn you, Blake," Ilia replied. "I'm sorry."

Blake was hurt by how sincere her tone was. "Don't tell me you're sorry!"

"But I am!" Ilia replied. "I am sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the Faunus back."

"Because we're trying to _protect _people?! In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?" Blake demanded.

"The same one as you!" Ilia replied harshly. She spread her hands. "There's no such thing as innocent. There's no right thing to do; only what's best for us." She advanced on Blake. "There's the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there's the others who stand by and let the hate happen!" She leveled her sword at Blake's throat. "But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don't like hurting people, but I'll tell you this: it's gotten us results."

Blake looked down at the blade, her expression pointed. "Yeah. Look where it's gotten you." She tested the bonds by stretching her arms and felt them give a little. If she could keep stretching them…

Ilia's eyes widened a bit in self-realization at Blake's retort, but then closed resolutely as she sighed. "We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good. No matter how much it hurts."

"And you think killing me is really for the greater good?" Blake asked.

"No," Ilia replied, eyes closed. "But getting rid of your family is."

Blake's eyes widened in fresh horror. "You wouldn't… you can't! I won't let you!" she half-begged, half-declared, writhing slightly in her bonds. The webbing gave way a little bit more.

"I know," Ilia said sadly. "That's why you're being sent to Mistral. To Adam."

Terror gripped Blake's heart, and she strained more against the webbing. "Ilia, please! You don't have to do this, this isn't you!" she implored.

Ilia leaned in closer. "Yes, it is," she hissed. Her face smoothed unexpectedly, sorrowful as her voice cracked. "But I guess back then you were just too busy falling for Adam to notice."

Blake's eyes widened as she realized Ilia's meaning. The small spots on her friend's arms and cheeks became a bashful pink as she said, "I was always jealous of the way you looked at him. I wanted you to look at me that way." Her pigments faded with a sniff she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were fiery magenta. "But we can't always get what we want."

She looked up. "Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks." Yuma stepped forward and grabbed Ilia by the arms before he took off in flight towards the Belladonna Manor, leaving Blake with the two other Faunus.

"Let's go, traitor," Trifa said, tugging on her rope.

Blake felt herself pulled back. The bonds were almost loose. It was time. "Now!" she cried.

At her shout, Trifa and the other guard tensed. "Huh?" Suddenly, a monkey-tailed boy leaped down from above, similar to Yuma's previous attack, and crashed down on top of the male Faunus. Trifa leaped back in surprise at Sun's sudden arrival. "What?!" Sun whipped out his bo staff as Trifa snatched a long knife from her belt, but she was quickly disarmed after a couple of strikes. An arm spun the Spider Faunus around, and the last thing Trifa saw was Blake's fist hurtling towards her.

Blake let Trifa fall, glancing up to Sun before she bent to retrieve Gambol Shroud, her webbing bonds snapped and discarded in a pile on the ground. "Thanks for the backup."

"Thanks for the invitation," Sun replied. "You okay?"

Blake sheathed her katana. "No. You heard Ilia, my family's in danger. Call the police and let's go."

"Right," Sun nodded as she dashed past him. With that, the two friends sprinted from the alleyway, both bringing their Scrolls to their ears as Sun called Saber while Blake tried to reach her parents. "Come on, Mom," she pleaded, "pick up."

* * *

Kali's vibrating Scroll went unanswered where it lay on the coffee table, the faint buzz drowned out by gunshots before the Scroll went flying as the wooden table was flipped on its side by a rabbit-eared guard, who was protecting Kali at the moment. "Get down!" he ordered before peeking over the top and squeezing off a pair of shots at two White Fang intruders, who were laying down fire on the table. The wood was doing well at absorbing the shots, and the Faunus guard managed to fell one of his adversaries with a shot to the chest before he was hit and fell back with a grunt, groaning slightly as his pistol fell from limp fingers.

Kali stared at the man in horror, not knowing if he was dead or merely injured, before her eyes fell on the discarded weapon. Quickly, she snatched it up and began to fire herself, eyes blazing with indignance as she shouted, "Get out of my house!"

She looked over her shoulder, hearing fighting in other parts of the manor. "Ghira!" she cried, before a fresh burst forced her to duck for cover.

In his study, the Chieftain was also under attack but putting up a valiant defense with his guard. The cadre of warriors that had attacked outnumbered them by at least a half dozen, but Ghira and the guard were proving very hard to kill. Ghira caught one man's kicking foot in midair and grabbed the attached leg before he slammed the man into the wall. To his side, the guard, a fox-tailed Faunus named Felix, dueled with a teenage girl, scoring a lucky hit to the face with his staff that knocked her aside, while Ghira delivered a devastating punch to a third's stomach before he grabbed the man's head and slammed it into the ground.

Ghira stood from his unconscious foe, turning to Felix. "Go find my wife!" he cried. Another attacker rushed him, but Ghira reared back with a vicious karate chop to the neck and tossed him aside. A gunshot rang out, and Felix leaped in front of the Chieftain, crying out as the shot struck him before he fell limp in Ghira's arms.

Ghira looked down sadly as the man, barely out of his teens, slipped from his hands and fell to the ground, and clenched his fists. Felix's last act had been one of loyalty, defending his Chieftain to the end. Ghira felt his face trembling with anger as he looked up with bared teeth and met eyes with the shooter.

Fennec Albain gazed impassively back at him, a Dust dagger held in his hand as the fiery magic faded back into the handle. At his side, Corsac smiled slightly. "I believe it's time our dear Chieftain stepped down, brother."

"Yes, brother," Fennec said with an evil grin, "I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree."

Ghira's fists shook as he revealed his Faunus trait, a pair of sharp, retractable claws that extended from his fingers as his eyes dilated in rage. With one large, clawed hand, he swept his coat to the side, exposing his hairy chest and forearms as he glared hatefully at the Albain brothers and let out a loud roar, prepared to battle to the death.

**Author's Note: This may earn me some hate, but I wouldn't feel right about not posting it. We can't always get what we want in life, and that of course extends to the things we watch and read. Certain decisions were made by Rooster Teeth with the show from this episode forward with the series, and those were their decisions to make. I cannot change or reverse them in any way, and I already told you guys that I wouldn't change a single thing about the series. However, I'm just going to make my opinion known that I did not approve of a certain decision made in this episode from a personal standpoint. It had nothing to do with the show plotwise, but I still disapproved of it. The issue is more openly touched upon in the next Volume, and I'm going to let this blurb speak for that incidence as well. I would just like it mentioned that Rooster Teeth's decisions with character and development in no way reflect my own opinions on certain issues and topics in our own society. Scared to see the replies, but I had to post this for my own peace of mind. - Jek**


	69. A Perfect Storm

**Chapter Nine: A Perfect Storm**

**Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral**

The rough, rhythmic scraping sound of the sharpening stone against Raven's Dust blade resonated throughout her tent with each sharpening stroke. The tribal leader's weapon was deceptively complex, merely having the appearance of a simple long sword and a Dust canister in the sheath. In reality, the red blade that was currently attached to her weapon was a finely hewn and sharpened piece of Dust, this one of the fire type, while the other colors in her sheath were various other blades, each Dust blade having its own unique elemental powers. Expensive products from Atlesian scientists for Huntsmen and Huntresses, they could easily be found on the black market in Mistral, still sharpened to perfection.

As such, there was no need for Raven to currently be sitting in her tent and running the rough stone over the blade's edge; however, Raven had picked up the habit while still building her weapon at Beacon, and it served as a therapeutic way for her to focus and think. She had been sharpening it a lot this morning, her thoughts still occupied on Yang's departure two days before.

The sound of her tent flap being pulled back and footsteps interrupted the leader's calming ritual. "Raven, we have a problem," came Vernal's voice from behind her.

"What is it?"

"Salem's found us."

From her view of Raven's back, Vernal didn't see her leader's eyes go wide with momentary alarm at the name, but she did here the steel in her voice as Raven murmured, "Salem," and bowed her head. "Okay." Raven's back straightened, stiff with resolve and determination as she rose, her sword still in hand.

"Four of her followers are waiting to speak with you," Vernal informed her. Raven took the news in stride.

"Right." Exit strategies had been whirling through Raven's mind the minute Vernal had spoken, and she forced them to calm. There was no sense in being hasty. "We planned for this." She turned to her lieutenant. "Bring me my helmet."

Vernal retrieved the bone-white ornament, and Raven accepted it with a small words of thanks before slipping it over her head and adopting the visage that terrified Mistral's outlying villages from the threat of its appearance and the chaos that was bound to follow. Now prepared, Raven sheathed her sword and strode out of her tent, letting the flap fall loosely behind her as she took stock of the invading party.

Hands on her hips in a sign of casual disinterest, Raven scanned over the visitors. To the right, a tall, thin man with a grey suit and bushy mustache stood with his hands behind his back, almost cordially. To his left was a woman, her face scarred and her right eye covered by a dark patch that stretched down to her cheek. Cloaked in a long red dress with gold highlights, her authoritative stance seemed to declare her as the leader.

The other two appeared to be less of a threat, both appearing to be children not too much older than Yang or her friends. The boy was clothed in sliver and black, with long gray hair that came down over his eyebrows, while the green-haired girl wore straps of white cloth and tan leather across her torso above brown pants and regarded Raven with glittering crimson eyes not unlike her own.

"I don't recall inviting so many guests into our home," Raven began. "Either I'm losing my memory…" She looked around to address her tribe, her voice rising in sharp reproach. "Or you've all lost your spines!"

"Don't be too upset with them, Raven," a silken smooth voice admonished. Raven's head turned towards the woman in the red dress, who grinned cunningly from beneath short, bobbed black hair as she lifted a hand to her chest and her good eye lit up with magical flames. "Your men simply recognize the power of a Maiden when they see it." The power faded away for a moment as the woman's gaze remained locked on Raven's. "Which is why we'd like to have a word with you."

Raven didn't reply immediately, turning once more to her people. "Leave us," she ordered. "Pack your things, then break down camp; we're moving." This location wouldn't be safe for the tribe any longer if Salem knew they were here.

The tribe moved to follow their leader's command. The man in the coat watched with mild interest, a hand to his chin. "A little late to run and hide," he commented in a rich, deep voice. You've been on our master's list for some time, so you must understand that we cannot allow you to slip away."

Raven descended the wooden steps before her tent, saying as she did, "I know all about your master. But I don't believe we've met."

The pair of youths grinned. Raven instantly disliked them. "We're the guys you should be afraid of," the boy said smugly.

Raven gave him a disdainful glance. "I doubt anyone should be afraid of you."

The boy bristled. "Oh yeah? Tell that to—"

"Quiet!" The woman harshly cut him off before he could finished. He conceded, but glowered at Raven.

"That's what I thought," Raven said, her mask concealing the slight smirk she wore.

Apparent, the woman had tired of anonymity. "I'm Cinder Fall," she introduced herself. Of the man she continued, "This is my associate, Arthur Watts," she gestured to the teens, "and my disciples, Emerald and Mercury."

Raven stared at them, sarcasm coloring her voice. "Two children you've tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, and a Fall Maiden with a surname so appropriate she probably picked it herself." She crossed her arms. "Something tells me you've got more than a slight case of egomania. Is that about right?"

Emerald and Mercury looked at each other, both surprised at the insolence with which Raven spoke, as well as the fact that Cinder would permit her to speak as such. Watts cleared his throat from the side. "Uh, technically I was also a doctor, but I must say the rest was spot on."

Cinder, for her part, regarded Raven neutrally. "Aren't you perceptive?" She left a slight pause between each word to accentuate her condescension.

"It's what's kept me alive," Raven replied evenly.

"I'm afraid the only reason you're still alive," Cinder countered, "is because you have something our master wants. Of course, if I'm wrong…" An evil grin smeared across Cinder's lips as she raised a hand and conjured a small tongue of fire to float above her palm, her eye once again glowing with magic.

Trying to convey as much boredom into her tone and posture as possible, Raven turned and called back towards her tent, "Vernal!" The girl emerged a moment later, moving to join Raven in staring down Salem's ambassadors.

Cinder's eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of Vernal, seemingly unimpressed. "So, this is the long lost Spring Maiden." She glanced at Raven with a challenging smirk. "Prove it."

Vernal looked to Raven, who nodded behind her helmet. With a sigh, as if annoyed by the task, Vernal closed her eyes, her brow narrowing in concentration, and extended her hands. There was silence for a moment, before a gentle rustle in the trees signified the activation of the Maiden power. The wind rapidly intensified, blowing the camp's tents and whipping up small storms of dust as the sky darkened with clouds overhead. As it became too strong, Emerald, Mercury, and Watts all cowered slightly, shielding their faces with their arms. Only Cinder looked on, her eye and smile both wide as she greedily watched the display of power.

Her worth proven, Vernal lowered her arms and reopened her eyes as the wind abated. Raven put a proud hand on her friend's shoulder as she said, "Vernal has done well under my guidance." She looked back at Cinder. "I would take that into consideration before you try anything."

Mercury and Watts dusted themselves off as Cinder replied in a low voice, "Raven, I won't underestimate you, so please don't insult my intelligence. There is a slim chance that you and your Maiden could escape here today, but if you know our master as well as you claim to, then you know that you could never truly escape her." Strangely, a smile touched the Fall Maiden's lips. "But we come bearing an olive branch."

Watts strode forward and took up the conversation. "The Maidens are merely a means to an end," he explained. _He even sounds scholarly. _"Salem's true desires are the Relics locked within the Huntsman Academies. Come with us," he offered. "Allow Vernal here to unlock the Relic of Knowledge, and all previous acts of defiance against Salem will be forgiven." His own voice dropped a timbre in thinly veiled threat. "It's the best deal either of you are going to get."

With that, the doctor returned to Cinder's side. "You talk as if walking straight into Haven will be easy," Raven pointed out.

"That's because it will be," Cinder said, her grin turning nasty. "Headmaster Lionheart is loyal to Salem now. All we need is the key to the Vault." Raven looked at her intently, wondering if it were true. "You're not the only one to turn your back on Oz, Raven," Cinder reassured.

"I'm not helping Salem; I'm not helping Oz," Raven replied, a hand going cautiously to her weapon's hilt. "I don't want a part in any of this."

"That ship sailed when you chose to harbor a Maiden," Cinder countered. "But if you come with us to Haven, we'll leave you, your tribe, and your little secret to live out the rest of your days squabbling in the wilderness." Her gaze narrowed intently. "We just need the Relic."

Raven glanced at Vernal. The girl appeared unsure. "I need time to think this over," Raven protested, her hand still on her sword.

"You don't have time," Watts replied. "In two days Haven Academy will be destroyed by the White Fang. You're going to choose _now_."

"Backed me into a corner, huh?"

"So," Cinder asked, "are you with us, or against us?"

After a tense moment, Raven's fingers left her sword and removed her helmet, revealing her face to the guests. "Agreements like these are built on trust, and forgive me for saying, but I don't trust a single one of you." Her eyes narrowed. "You're going to have to give me more."

Watts own eyes copied hers. "You are in a poor position to negotiate," he pointed out.

"I want my brother dead."

Raven's face remained impassive as she said it, but she felt some small satisfaction at the confounded reactions of the group. Emerald and Mercury's expressions of shock mirrored each other, both appearing as if they weren't sure they'd heard clearly. Watts was more reserved, but his eyebrows had noticeably shot upwards. Even Cinder seemed momentarily dumbfounded.

"Qrow?" the Fall Maiden said, caught off guard by Raven's callousness.

Vernal also shot her a surprised look, but Raven didn't flinch. "That's right. He knows I have Spring. And if I help you get your Relic, he's going to become a problem. I have enough problems to deal with."

As Raven's continued to speak, a leering smile sneaked its way onto Cinder's lips, as if the Fall Maiden was amused at the idea of Raven's cavalier betrayal of Qrow. "Qrow doesn't trust me, but he does trust Ozpin's other lieutenants ," Raven continued. "If Leo really _is _loyal to you, then you can order him to invite Qrow right into an ambush. He arrives at Haven, we take him down, you get your Relic… and we all leave happy."

Cinder chuckled softly. "Now _this _is a proposition I can get behind."

"Alright, ladies, let's pause for a moment," Watts interjected as he stepped forward, hands spread. He turned to Cinder with a pointed look and raised a finger. "We have _one _objective: retrieving the Relic of Knowledge. Now Qrow Branwen may be on our list of individuals we'd very much like dead," he looked to Raven, "but he's not going to go down without a fight, and he's _not_ going to fight quietly. Our advantage here is just as you said; we walk straight into Haven, no resistance, no one the wiser. A battle with your brother throws that all out the window."

Raven remained steadfast. "He's good," she conceded, "but not _that _good. All of us, against him? It'll be over in a heartbeat."

"But it's not just him." Raven frowned and looked at Emerald, who looked unsure. "He has the students with him," she pointed out, gazing at Cinder. "He has Ruby."

At the mention of the reaper's name, however, Cinder's face wore an expression not unlike a shark's, raw with hunger. "He certainly does."

Watts put a hand to his forehead in frustration. "If we leave that school a bloody mess, it'll draw the attention of the authorities! The Kingdom will be on high alert and the White Fang's attack will be ruined."

"Then we wait," Cinder assuaged. "We wait until the full moon. Leo invites Qrow and his little fighters to Haven the same night Hazel and Adam arrive with the White Fang." Watts held a considering hand to his chin as she continued, "As soon as the battle is won, the White Fang demolishes Haven, and any evidence we may have left behind is lost along with the school."

"Then Salem leaves my people alone," Raven added. "For good."

Cinder was still smirking as she took a step forward. "You have yourself a deal," she said, extending her hand.

"_Wait._"

Cinder looked up, teeth clenched in anger, as Watts hand wrapped around her wrist. The doctor's own gaze matched hers, heedless of the Maiden's ire. "Don't think I don't see what you're after," he warned. "If this falls to pieces over your grudge with a _child _I will not be taking the blame."

"Then _what _are you worried about?" she replied in a low, deadly voice, her eye alighting with Maiden power as she spoke. Watts jerked back, clutching the hand that had grabbed her in pain, while Cinder's arm lost its fiery heat and she approached Raven. "Fly back home and tinker with your machines," she told him dismissively. "And tell Salem she'll get what she wants." She extended her hand. "And more."

Raven stared down at Cinder's offered hand for a moment, still calculating her odds. Then, after a final mental debate abated, she accepted the handshake, wondering all the while if she was making a deal with the devil.

* * *

****Kuo Kuana, Menagerie****

Ghira Belladonna's study had become a war zone between the Chieftain and Corsac, Fennec, and their remaining men, Ghira refusing to die easy. With deceptive agility, he leaped high to one of his office's pillars, clinging to it with his claws, before he leaped down atop a hapless soldier and slashed them to the side. A second Faunus came at him from the side with a spear, but Ghira dodged and gripped the handle tightly before lifting the unfortunate soldier completely off her feet and hurling her bodily across the room.

The girl crashed into Fennec, knocking him to the ground with a yelp, while Corsac took the moment to charge up his Dust dagger and take aim. Ghira also took aim with his stolen spear, and the Chieftain threw at the exact moment Corsac fired, their projectiles passing each other in the air as they found their targets.

Corsac's fireball crashed into Ghira with a nasty dent in his Aura, causing a violet shimmer to traverse the man's body. Ghira's spear missed Corsac's body but caught him by his ornate red hood, pinning him violently against the wall as he strained to remove the spear. "Brother!" Fennec cried as he recovered, charging up his own dagger with a fresh attack before he unleashed a small whirlwind at Ghira.

The Chieftain staggered back as the wind Dust battled against him, not noticing in his struggle a spare soldier that had hidden behind a post. The Faunus stepped out, weapon in hand and ready to fire, before the window behind him crashed inward and Sun Wukong landed atop him, saving Ghira from the surprise attack.

From his spot pinned to the wall, Corsac managed to shrug himself out of his red robes, exposing his short brown hair as he rejoined the fight with an angry grimace. Sidling up next to his twin, he traded a nod with Fennec before they both fired their Dust daggers at Sun with a mixture of fire and wind. Sun twirled his bo staff against the attack, warding off the inferno of wind, and shouted out, "Hurry!"

Corsac and Fennec both turned, but Blake was already moving, Gambol Shroud readied with a fresh clip of Dust ammunition. Dodging fire and wind from the brothers, Blake nimbly twirled in the air and landed between their assailants. In unison, the brothers raised their knives, but Blake clicked her trigger and left behind an icy shadow clone in her place as they attacked, freezing their hands within her copy as she flipped over to her father and friend.

"Dad, where's Mom?" Blake quickly asked Ghira.

"I'm not sure," Ghira replied, his eyes unwavering from the twins as he stayed at her side, wary of any more of the daggers they might have up their sleeves. "I got ambushed right away."

"Once we take out Corsac and Fennec—"

"No, go now," her father cut her off.

"But—"

"You keep assuring me your friend isn't a complete waste of space." Ghira bared his teeth at the brothers. "Let's see him prove it."

"We got this, Blake," Sun assured her. "I've wanted to sock these creeps since the day we met." Corsac and Fennec stared at them silently, their daggers glowing with fire Dust as they slowly melted free of Blake's clone.

"You'll have to get in line," Ghira told Sun, claws at the ready. "Blake, go!"

His daughter nodded once, then sprinted from the room. Corsac and Fennec watched her go, breaking free of the ice a moment after she left and staring down Sun and Ghira with cool menace.

"I won't let you down, sir," Sun promised.

Ghira grunted. "Shut up."

"You got it." With that brief exchange, the pair hurled themselves forward with a matching warcry.

* * *

****Branwen Tribe Camp, Kingdom of Mistral****

Raven sat in her tent on her bed, completely still save for her breathing. Deep in thought, the leader was hunched over with a hand to her head as her mind reviewed the events of that morning, trying to decide if she had made the right choice or overplayed her hand. No matter how many times she replayed the meeting with Cinder, she always decided that she had made the right call, that it had been the only reasonable way of keeping her people safe. Regardless, making any kind of deal with a representative of Salem's, especially one as cunning as Cinder, was bound to end in disaster.

Still, Raven had kept a card or two up her sleeve, just for when, not if, things went south.

Not lifting her gaze from studying the floorboards, Raven acknowledged her friend's presence. "Yes, Vernal?"

"I followed them as you asked," the bandit woman replied, staying respectfully at the entrance of Raven's tent.

"Did they spot you?"

The younger woman allowed herself a small chuckle. "Of course not," she replied, hands on her hips with a cocked eyebrow. "They have a ship two clicks west of here," she reported. "Looks like they're staying there for the night."

"Thank you, Vernal," Raven replied after a moment. She looked up. "Anything else?"

Vernal's smirk disappeared from her face, replaced by uncertainty. "Do you… actually believe they'll let us go once they have the Relic?"

Raven nearly scoffed. "Of course not. They'll never leave us alone. Once our purpose has come and gone, we'll be discarded. Salem only uses people until they are no longer useful." Raven had been contemplating the thought ever since Cinder's party had departed, and she had come up with an apparent solution. "If we want to have any chance of defending ourselves against her, then we _need _this Relic." She stood from her bed. "If Qrow and those brats want to follow Ozpin, then let them. When the chaos reaches its peak, _we'll _grab the Relic, and make our escape."

Vernal still seemed unsure. "And the fact that your daughter'll be a part of all that…?"

Raven frowned, shaking her head as she walked towards the back flap of her tent. "Doesn't matter. I warned her. She made her choice." She paused before she exited the tent, turning back to her friend. "This path won't be easy for us either, but we _must _do what is best for the tribe."

Vernal appeared to have steeled herself. "I know. I'll do whatever it takes."

Raven's gaze lingered approvingly on her lieutenant's. "Good." With that, she departed.

Vernal followed after her, looking around for a moment before a caw sounded overhead and a raven flapped through the air, a red portal opening before it to swallow it from view.

Before any good raid, the target needed to be scoped out. First, Raven would take stock of Qrow and the children. Then, she would pay Haven a visit. She had a chat that she was just _dying_ to have with Leo.

* * *

****Rental Home, Mistral****

Qrow Branwen sat in his room, sipping at his flask, when a caw from outside caught his attention. Suspiciously, he glanced out the window, thinking he saw a flash of black feathers in the distance, before his train of thought was interrupted.

"Hey, Qrow?" came Oscar's small voice from the doorway. Qrow turned to se the boy awkwardly gripping the long cane in both hands before him, apparently uncomfortable to be the messenger. "Oz needs to talk to you."

The man grunted on the bed, dismissing his suspicions as loose thoughts from his drinking, before he stood and followed behind Oscar to the living room.

* * *

****Kuo Kuana, Menagerie****

All around Blake, it sounded like there was fighting. There was no way to tell where in the manor her mother was, but the best thing she could do was head towards the sounds of combat. Hopefully, Kali would be under the protection of Saber's guard still, and Blake could find her if she moved towards the skirmishes. Quickly, she rounded the corner, heading towards the manor's conference hall, where Ghira would sometimes conduct town hall meetings and from where she could access the other parts of the mansion.

Quickly, she burst through the doors upon arrival, but stopped in the middle of the room as she laid eyes upon its lone occupant, crouched on the railing above her on the second floor. Ilia's expression remained unreadable now, shielded behind her White Fang mask, but Blake's own eyes narrowed as her former friend stood and Ilia's hand drifted towards her weapon at her hip. Quickly, Blake reached to her back, tensing for action as her hand closed on Gambol Shroud. Ilia's hand closed around her rapier/whip and Blake drew her flat blade, neither leaving the other's eyes in a tenuous standoff that would erupt any moment into war.

**Author's Note: I love this show. I like this Volume. But every now and then, there comes a little hiccup. Like, Ghira, Sun could you _not _have just destroyed the dudes while they were stuck in the ice? Could've spared people a lot of work. But I digress. Still a good episode, with an even better followup in the next chapter. Stick around! - Jek**


	70. True Colors

**Chapter Ten: True Colors**

**Rental Home, Mistral**

The two old friends sat quietly around the living room's low coffee table, both drinking from steaming mugs. Qrow had added a bit of the contents of his flask to his coffee, while Ozpin had made himself some hot cocoa, which he had always enjoyed from previous lives.

Qrow slowly lifted his mug and took a serene sip, his calm demeanor not aligning with his inner concerns. "Things aren't looking good, Oz."

Ozpin grinned with Oscar's mouth. "Ever the optimist," he chuckled before he too drank from his cup. The grin slipped into a more serious expression as he lowered his mug. "While I would not say our current predicament is… _ideal_, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force."

Qrow wasn't as convinced. "Oz." The former headmaster looked at him. "Pro Huntsmen like that don't just bite it all at once. Salem's powerful, and it seems like her reach is growing by the day." The Huntsman cocked an eyebrow. "What does that say about humanity?"

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice," Ozpin conceded. "It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm, but I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it." He moved to sip from his mug again, but stopped at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Umm, excuse me?" Ruby asked in a small voice as she entered the room, not wishing to interrupt. Her hands were clasped meekly before her as she stepped around her uncle's chair.

Ozpin smiled. _Speak of the devil. _"Ah, Miss Rose! Join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps."

"Oh, uh, great," she replied with a smile as she moved to stand before the couch.

Qrow studied his niece for a moment, knowing from her posture that she'd been thinking about something. "Something on your mind, kiddo?"

Ruby's smile slipped from her face as she sighed briefly. She was clearly still tentative to voice herself. "Uh, if… if it's okay to ask?"

Qrow gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course."

"Well, uh…" She still had her hands clasped nervously. "We've been talking about the Relic at Haven, and the Spring Maiden, but… what about the Fall Maiden?"

Ozpin gazed at her intently. "Cinder?"

"Does that mean… Salem has the Beacon Relic?"

Ozpin and Qrow traded a glance before the former headmaster looked to her with an impressed smile. "Very astute, Miss Rose. I was wondering who would be the first to ask.

"No, thankfully she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus." He grinned. "Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a… bit more challenging than at the other schools."

"Oh…" Ruby sighed in relief, her smile back. "That's good to hear."

"It is, but let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us," Ozpin recommended. After a moment, Ruby nodded. "Now, is there anything else we can help you with?"

Ruby wore a hopeful grin and held up a finger. "Well, uh, I did have one more question."

Ozpin smirked. "No, my cane is not a Relic."

"I have no more questions," Ruby corrected, giggling as the men chuckled.

"Yes," Ozpin explained, "while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that: precious to me. Although I do admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that being a Relic isn't one of them." He patted the cane beside him fondly. "Now why don't you run and get the other students?"

A buzzing sound drew everyone's attention to Qrow, who reached into his pocket for his Scroll. He glanced at the caller ID before clicking the answer button and bringing the device to his ear. "Yeah?" He sounded tired, as if he'd been talking to this person too much recently. "Okay." Ruby and Ozpin both watched him as he spoke. "Yeah, we'll be there." He hung up and put his Scroll back in his pocket.

"Who was it?" asked his niece.

"It was Leo," Qrow replied, reaching into his coat for his flask as he cut his eyes towards Ozpin. "Said he had a breakthrough with the Council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it."

Ruby gasped. "Really? Oh, that's great! I'll go get the others!" Quickly, she dashed from the room, not picking up on the somber expressions that now adorned both men's faces.

Qrow took a long sip from his flask, needing something stronger than what he'd mixed into his coffee, as Ozpin stared thoughtfully at the table. "Mm. That sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?"

"It does," Qrow concurred.

"Interesting," Ozpin mused darkly.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"I know."

* * *

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

The desktop Scroll device winked off, Leo staring desolately at the space where the blue screen had projected a moment before, before bowing his head in shame.

"I still have questions for you," his guest said with a small smirk from the side. Leo turned his head and looked at Raven, who stood with her arms crossed a few feet away from his desk and had listened to the entire conversation.

"You're not alone in that," he replied in a low voice, thick with self-loathing.

Raven walked around to the front of the desk. "You know, I never thought that _you _would be the one who would have the guts to betray Oz, which makes me wonder, what _does _she have on you?"

"I'm helping her for the same reason you are," he replied, knitting his fingers together on his desk. "I'm afraid. We… we can't stop her. No one can."

Raven's confident posture didn't waver. "That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid; I'm smart."

"You can call it whatever you want. It doesn't really matter. We're here. Helping her." Leo brought his hands to his temples hopelessly. "I've crossed a line," he went on, half-speaking to himself. "I've done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn't. I don't know where I go from here."

Raven stepped forward and placed her hands on the desk as he lowered his own. "Man up. You did what you had to do to survive. There is no shame in that."

Lionheart gazed down at his desk for a moment before he replied softly but firmly, "Who are you trying to convince?"

The hint of a frown crossed Raven's lips at the statement, and she apparently tired of their conversation as she turned to leave, abandoning Leo to his worries as he slumped back in his chair and sighed heavily.

* * *

**Kuo Kuana, Menagerie**

Gunfire was still heavy throughout Belladonna Manor, lacing the air with the smell of Dust and the sounds of violence. Fighting occurred from room to room, Saber's men valiant in their efforts against the attacking White Fang. Kali had fought her way out of the living room with her borrowed pistol and revived her fallen guard, the injured man retrieving another weapon and staying close to her side as they tried to find a safe point and regroup with other members of the guard. Along the way they had run into another friendly face, Celeste, and rescued her from an ambush, and now, the trio were locked in the latest of several gunfights

Kali pulled her trigger, but an empty click signified that she had run out of ammunition. Dismayed, she threw the useless weapon to the ground as Celeste took cover behind a large jade pillar. Thinking quickly, Kali scooped up a thick metal serving tray and held it in front of her like a shield, deflecting a bullet as she retreated. At Celeste's incredulous gaze, the Chieftain's wife asked, "Do you have a better idea?"

Before Celeste could respond, the crash of broken glass announced the arrival of a new assailant as a bat-winged Faunus man swooped in from the skylight above and landed atop the rabbit-eared guard that had been protecting Kali. Taken by surprise, the guard's weapon was knocked from his hand as Yuma's own hands closed around his throat and began to squeeze.

"Quiet now," Yuma growled with a sadistic grin as he strangled the man, whose struggles were weakening. Without a moment of hesitation, Kali bared her teeth and rushed forward, tray in hand as she let out a battle cry.

"Ma'am, no!" Celeste cautioned, but Kali was already in motion. Yuma looked up from his prey in surprise only to be greeted by a hard blow from the metal before everything went dark.

* * *

In the conference hall, Blake and Ilia were still locked in their intense stare down. Blake surveyed her friend from the ground level, eyes narrowed, while Ilia's own expression was indiscernible behind her mask. "Did you come in here to hide?" Blake demanded.

"I told you," Ilia replied, "I didn't want this."

` "But you're still here."

"I don't have a choice!"

"Of course you do!" Blake cried back, Gambol Shroud held at the ready. Ilia turned away, and Blake's expression shifted to disgust as she replaced her weapon on her back. "Just stay out of my way," she ordered as she began to walk away.

Teeth clenched, Ilia leaped forward with her rapier, prepared to run her former friend through. However, as she made contact, Blake faded away, the shadow clone dissipating from the attack as Ilia's sword met the wood floor. She turned and saw that Blake hadn't moved from her original spot, instead projecting a clone forwards as a decoy. Both of them knew what the attack meant. Unspoken, the fight had begun.

Ilia activated her weapon's whip form and lashed forward, electricity stinging the ground as Blake leaped to the side, nimbly avoiding the shocks. Quickly, the Huntress dashed across the table tops, the whip nipping at her heels all the while, before she turned and made a stand. Gambol Shroud caught two quick strikes before Blake leaped high and lashed out with her own ribbon cord. The black fabric wrapped around Ilia's wrist as Blake pulled hard on her weapon, launching herself towards her foe as Ilia was yanked towards her. Blake caught Ilia with a strong kick that sent the chameleon Faunus skidding across the table. Ilia barely had time to recover before Blake was upon her, their blades locked in a deadly showdown.

Blake held her weapon tightly as she pushed against Ilia. "Why do you feel like we have to hurt people to get our way?!"

Ilia gave a hissed grunt of exertion. "Because it works!"

"That doesn't make it right!" Blake implored. Ilia grimaced and clicked her trigger, sending a shock through her blade that traveled through Gambol Shroud and numbed Blake's wrist. The Huntress yelped at the shock, her weapon flying back across the table and leaving her momentarily unarmed. Despite her attempt to draw her secondary flat blade and recover, Ilia used the momentary advantage well, flipping around with a kick to Blake's midsection that sprawled her over a chair. Her back slammed against the wood painfully as she flipped over, coming to a stop on her hands and knees on the floor.

Ilia lashed out again with the whip, but Blake left a shadow to take the hit and skittered to the cover of the chairs. "Stop lecturing me!" Ilia shouted at her. Blake peered around one of the chairs, but Ilia had vanished, her mask left on the table. Realizing the other girl's plan, Blake's eyes darted to the light switch, but the room fell into darkness before she could see Ilia.

Quickly, Blake dashed over to her katana and retrieved it, wielding it warily with both hands as she stared into the darkness for any sign of her enemy. While it was a well known fact that Faunus had near-perfect night vision, Blake's eyes would be of little help here. With her own Faunus trait, Ilia could alter her skin pigments at will and blend in with the darkness, become one shadow among many until the moment to strike arrived.

Blake jerked to the side, thinking she heard a noise, and caught a flicker of movement among the shadows. However, before she could act, the glowing whip flared out of the darkness and slashed across her torso, knocking her back with a pained cry. Quickly, the young Huntress gripped her pistol with both hands and fired after the retreating figure, but Ilia had vanished back into the shadows before any of her shots could connect.

"Why couldn't you just leave?" Ilia's voice cried out from the darkness, sounding pained.

Blake whipped her pistol down into the katana once more. "Because I run away too much."

A faint whir and a glow from the corner of her eye was the only warning she had as the whip appeared on the second floor and lashed out from the balcony. Quickly, she dodged two attacks and once again took refuge behind the chairs.

Blake took a moment to assess her options. She could always make a try for the light switch, but Ilia already had the upper hand in the darkness and could easily ambush her. Even if she managed to get the lights back on, Ilia could find any lull in the fighting to turn them back off again, and she would be right back in the mess she was in now. She needed light that couldn't be turned off.

An idea sprang to mind as she went for her Dust cartridges clipped to her belt. She had two left, one for ice and another for fire. She loaded the fire type Dust into her weapon, then took aim. "Sorry, Dad," she mused before pulling the trigger.

At once, a fire charge streaked from her pistol into the wall of the second floor, instantly catching as the wood began to burn. The pleasant smell of smoking firewood began to fill the room as Blake scanned the ever brightening are, looking for Ilia.

She didn't have to look for very long. As the fire spread and the light grew brighter, a black figure was suddenly seen crouching against the wall, no longer swathed in shadows for cover. Growling, Ilia reverted to her normal color as she dashed forward. The fight was back on.

The spy flipped nimbly over Blake and delivered a powerful strike with her rapier, knocking the katana from Blake's grip, but the Huntress adapted quickly and snatched it from the air with her other hand, spinning into an attack of her own. Their blades clashed twice before Blake grabbed Ilia's wrist and spun her around, trying to get her off balance. Ilia twisted with the momentum and lashed with the whip, but Blake decoyed away and let the clone take the hit.

Ilia dashed forward and swiped at Blake's head, but the other girl ducked beneath the blade and came back around with both hands, slapping the rapier away with her katana while her free hand grabbed Ilia's wrist and pinned her arm to the ground. Blake quickly reared back and slashed at Ilia, but the spy leaned away from the attack and pulled her weapon free, forcing Blake to duck yet again as she swung the whip in a wide arc. Ilia's eyes blazed in the light of the fire, face shrouded in shadow as she twirled elegantly and slashed at Blake, but the Huntress once again cloned herself and dashed to the side.

Blake switched to her pistol and fired rapidly, keeping Ilia occupied with a storm of Dust rounds, which, to her credit, the other girl managed to skillfully intercept and block. However, Ilia's face was frenzied and wild as she shouted, "Quit taking potshots and _fight me like you mean it_!" Once more, the whip coiled like a serpent and struck, and once again, Blake decoyed away, this time flipping backwards to the burning second floor to take a breather behind the railing.

"You used to see things the way I did," Ilia spat accusingly from the ground, "the way _Adam _did! If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left is to attack back!"

Blake winced at the radical words, her thoughts traveling to Forever Fall, when Adam had first said them, swept up by Sienna's philosophy. However, she didn't allow herself to dwell on the past as a new idea emerged in her battle plan. Quickly, she loaded in her spare clip of ice Dust and started to fire again, watching as Ilia caught the shots on her whip's blade. After several rounds, Blake stopped firing, and Ilia thrust her whip forward to strike. However, when nothing happened, she glanced to her weapon and realized Blake's tactic. Due to the ice hardening, Ilia's blade was now frozen and deformed into a curve, unable to extend forward until the ice melted.

Blake wasn't going to give her foe that chance. Quickly, she threw her weapon forward in pistol form and wrapped it around Ilia's own. With a firm tug on the ribbon, the whip flew from Ilia's hands. Blake let the ribbon drop and leaped high above her friend, coming down with a strong kick that ended with Ilia on the ground and Blake pinning her down.

"You're wrong," Blake desperately pleaded with her friend, even as Ilia struggled to free her arms, "there's always another choice!" Ilia continued to squirm, but Blake pressed her down firmly as the fire roared in the background. "Ilia, _please_, you're a good person but you're making all the wrong decisions!"

"_Shut up_!" Ilia shouted as she pressed up against Blake, but the Huntress kept her down.

"Is this really what your parents would have wanted?!" Blake demanded.

"_I don't know what else to do_!"

Blake stared down at Ilia as suddenly the fight seemed to leave her. Now, Ilia sank back against the floor, her voice cracking as she began to softly sob. Eyes brimming with tears, Ilia looked up at her friend. "I don't know what else to do," she whispered, like a confused child.

Ilia continued to cry beneath her as Blake watched. She opened her mouth to begin to comfort her, but before she could say anything, a crash to the side alerted them both that they were no longer alone.

Both girls looked over as a man was hurled bodily through the wall behind Blake to her right, two small daggers clattering on the ground as they fell from his hands. It took Blake a moment to register that the man was Corsac Albain, and as she and Ilia watched, Ghira Belladonna leaped after him through the hole in the wall, presumably the one who had thrown him.

The Chieftain's eyes darted to the side, widening as he took in the sight of his daughter and Ilia. "Blake—" he began, before crying out in pain as Fennec appeared behind him and sank his own dagger into Ghira's thick shoulder, the Chieftain's depleted Aura too low to protect him

At her father's cry, Blake bolted upright. "Dad!" However, the shift in weight allowed the captured Ilia to gain the upper hand beneath her, pushing Blake up and aiming a well placed kick to the Huntress's stomach that launched her back into the chairs. Blake hit hard and lay, unmoving, on the ground.

Ghira, for his part, still had his hands full. Despite the spike of pain that had shot through his shoulder, the large Faunus reached back and grabbed Fennec's stabbing hand. With one arm, Ghira mightily hurled Fennec across the room, who groaned as he was thrown to the ground. Corsac, having recovered from being launched through the wall, dodged his brother's tumbling form as he came at Ghira with his bare fists, out of daggers.

The Chieftain roughly pulled the Dust dagger from his shoulder as Corsac came in, their hands meeting in a mighty punch that left both of their knuckles throbbing. The brawl continued as they both swung with power, knocking fist against fist before they stalemated in a deadly showdown. Impressively, Corsac had held his own against Ghira, but now, with the Chieftain's hands wrapped around his own and the other man leaning into him with all of his weight, the attempted assassin had to brace himself and lean into Ghira's body just to keep from being tackled to the ground.

As if in a dream, Ilia watched the engagement with wide eyes, unsure of herself after Blake had pinned her down. "Ilia!" came the snapped voice of Fennec to shake her out of her revere. She looked to the side to see that he had recovered and was drawing another dagger from within his tunic. "What are you doing?!" he cried at her. "_Fight_!" With that he dashed forward to assist his brother. Seeing him coming, Ghira pushed Corsac away and barely managed to avoid Fennec's deadly swipes. He made his own swipe with a clawed hand that held Fennec at bay, then forced Corsac back with two quick blows to the torso. Fennec attacked from behind, but Ghira caught him as he leaped and flung him over his head as Corsac reengaged.

Growling, Fennec began to charge up this dagger with fire Dust while Ghira and Corsac traded blows. When the blade was ready, Fennec dashed in with a shrieking cry and stabbed forward, but Ghira caught Fennec's wrist and twisted it to the side, launching the fireball instead at Corsac, who took the full brunt of the blast with a loud "_Augh_!" and fell to the ground, his Aura weakening from the severe attack.

Horrified, Fennec shouted, "Brother!" as he leaped back. Fueled by his rage, the Faunus man rushed in once more. However, he never made it to Ghira, as Sun, who had been occupied outside in the hallway dealing with a group of footsoldiers, had finally finished mopping up and rejoined Ghira's side. The monkey-tailed boy swung into the room and kicked Fennec away with both feet, knocking him aside. Quickly, the young Huntsman surveyed the scene, watching as Blake began to dazedly rise at the table where she had fallen and hurried away from quickly approaching flames.

However, as his gaze landed on Ilia, Sun's fist clenched, and he growled. Behind him, Ghira panted, "Go help Blake!"

The boy needed no further prompting. "On it!" Quickly, he dashed forward, drawing his bo staff from his back as he prepared to engage Ilia, whose own weapon was still frozen from Blake's earlier attack. However, that didn't stop the spy from fighting back as she swung at Sun. Quickly, he thrust his staff into the ground and flipped himself backwards in a dodge, spinning it rapidly as he came back for an attack. Ilia nimbly evaded with a backflip and twisted into a kick aimed at his head, which Sun barely dodged.

In an effort to gain the edge with unpredictability, Sun snapped his weapon into its second form, that of his shotgun nunchucks, which he quickly brought up to bear. The initial surprise won him a satisfying cry of pain from Ilia as he caught her up the small of her back, but the chameleon adapted quickly and blocked his next flurry of strikes, even as his muzzles flashed with fire. Sun managed to sneak past her defenses with a kick, but she recovered almost instantly and continued to block until he had locked his weapon back into staff form against hers.

However, the heat from the growing blaze combined with the kinetic energy of the battle had thawed out Ilia's blade, and she grinned triumphantly at him as she clicked her tigger and prepared to zap him with electricity. What she didn't expect was for an empty buzz to sound from her trigger, the shocking system temporarily malfunctioning from the intense cold of the freeze. Frantically, Ilia clicked her trigger, but Sun forced her back with a thrust to her stomach as her weapon went flying from her hands. Backed up against a pillar, Ilia's only defense was her arms as Sun pushed against her with enough power to begin to crack the pillar.

"_Stop_!"

Blake's pleading cry reached both their ears, and they paused to turn and regard her. Blake looked at them both painfully, tears making tracks down her cheeks as she begged, "Please…"

For a moment, they both looked at her, but Ilia quickly returned her mind to the fight, tugging against Sun for the staff. Sun pushed back against her, and the girl fell to the side as his staff hit the pillar where her body had been. However, their intense struggle had severely damaged the structural integrity of the pillar, which began to fracture. When it fell, it would drop the entire section of the second floor that it supported.

Sun quickly fled the impending disaster, but Ilia didn't realize until the pillar had all but buckled completely that she was in danger. With a startled cry, she looked up as the platform dropped down on her, futilely ducking away from what would surely be a crushing blow.

When a few moments passed and Ilia realized that she was not yet dead, she opened her eyes and was shocked by the sight of Ghira Belladonna towering over her, face strained as his arms quivered from holding up the massive section of platform. Having knocked both Fennec and Corsac out of the fight, the Chieftain had seen her dilemma and acted instinctively, dashing forward to catch the falling debris before she could be killed. However, the massive load was incredibly heavy, and Ghira's injured shoulder was doing little to help. "Move," he groaned out to her in a stressed voice."Go!"

Ilia didn't have to be told twice. Quickly, she sprinted from beneath the platform to safety, leaving Ghira to drop to one knee as the wreckage threatened to crush him in her stead. Sun, however, came to his assistance, snapping his hands together to generate two light clones that hurried to the leader's side and strained to relieve some of the weight from him.

Blake watched from the sideline, snatching up her weapon from where it had fallen when Ilia had thrown her against the table. Behind her, unnoticed due to the current spectacle, Fennec had stumbled back into the room after being thrown back through the hole in the wall by Ghira. Noticing that Corsac was still unconscious from his earlier failed attack, Fennec stared unsurely at the group of enemies before him before he steeled himself. Snatching one of his brother's fallen daggers from the ground, Fennec activated both, charging them with air and fire Dust as he sprinted forward and prepared to finish Ghira off while he was vulnerable.

Blake caught sight of the attacker and thought quickly, throwing her pistol to loop around her father's chest before she gave a powerful tug and pulled him from beneath the platform right as Fennec leaped to strike. Unfortunately for the would-be assassin, with Ghira gone, there was nothing to support the platform, and as Fennec landed where Ghira had been a moment before, he looked up in terror at the wreckage that came crashing down upon him.

Fire needs three things to burn: a spark, fuel, and oxygen. Add to that a fourth ingredient, pressure, and you have the perfect recipe for an explosion. With Fennec's Dust daggers being as charged as they were with air and fire, the sudden force of being crushed by several hundred pounds of wood and stone instantly ignited them and detonated the unintentional bomb in a burst of fire and smoke.

It was over in a heartbeat. Fennec didn't even have time to scream.

As the dust settled from the explosion and Sun, Blake, and Ghira took a moment to recover from their intense ordeal, the door to the conference hall opened. Blake looked up to meet the new visitor, her face blooming in a relieved smile at the sight of Kali Belladonna walking in with a victorious grin as she dropped an unconscious Yuma to the ground beside her. "Mom!" Blake cried as she rushed to her mother's side, crushing her in a hug.

"_What have you done_?"

Kali's smile became a frown, her brow furrowing as she stared over Blake's shoulder. Blake turned and saw what had disturbed Kali: Corsac had finally staggered to his feet, glaring at them all with wild eyes that were chilling to see on his usually calm face. "You've ruined everything," he hissed through clenched teeth. "_Everything_!" he shouted venomously.

Cautiously, Blake released her mother and crept back to her weapon, which she had dropped on the ground. Sun held his staff at the ready as Blake guarded her weary father with her pistol, keeping it trained on Corsac as he tensed to strike.

With a yell, the surviving Albain dashed forward, only for a coiling whip to catching him around the waist and halt him in his tracks with a painful electrocution. Corsac yelped as he was shocked, falling to the ground in a stunned heap.

Behind him stood Ilia, whip in hand. She stared at the fallen man in front of her, her eyes traveling up to Blake's before she sobbed. Her chest heaved as the redeemed girl wept, the weapon falling from her fingers before she too fell to the ground on her hands and knees and let the tears fall.

* * *

The fighting finally ended for good half an hour later, the remainder of the White Fang attackers either surrendering or being forcibly captured. With the loss of Fennec, Corsac, and Ilia to coordinate the attack, the remaining troops had realized quickly that the tide had turned against them and that cooperation was liable to be their best course of action.

However, as Ghira emerged from the burning manor with the bodies of a young soldier from both sides slung over each shoulder, the clamor of a crowd made it clear that the attack had not gone unnoticed by Menagerie's general populace. Two of the guard met Ghira as he exited through the front doors, smoke pouring out behind him, and relieved him of his grievous burden. Saber himself had been absent at the beginning of the attack but had quickly arrived on the scene, staying outside only to act as a calming voice for the worried crowd as he sent in his men, but now, Ghira's old friend followed close behind the other two guard members and pointed inside.

"Get in there!" the Faunus man ordered his followers. "Search for any stragglers!" Quickly, a small squad of the guard rushed in to follow his orders as more people emerged from the smoking entrance. "We came as soon as we got the call," Saber explained to the Chieftain, pausing to take in the sight of the refugees of the battle. Blake held a weary and injured girl from the White Fang over her shoulder, Sun and Kali nearby, while various other members of Saber's troops escorted out captured Fang members or supported their own wounded. Corsac was held with his hands behind his back by two of the guard and brought to his knees, the fight taken out of him by the loss of his brother. Ilia was the last one out, not kept under guard but slumping to the ground in shame, clearly not a threat.

"And Fennec?" Saber asked, his brow raised in inquiry. Ghira silently shook his head. Saber absorbed the information for a moment, then turned and drew close to Corsac. Bending over him in a posture that spoke of familiarity, as if the two men had once been friends, Saber gazed at the man with a mixture of pity and pointedness as he asked, "Was it worth it?" Corsac bowed his head and didn't respond.

In the center of the front porch, Blake looked out at the crowd. Clearly the sight of Ghira had somewhat calmed them, but they still milled about with an air of concern. She glanced to the side and met Sun's eyes, the boy having slid tiredly down the nearby wall. Turning around, she looked to Ilia, but her former foe couldn't hold Blake's eyes and looked away.

Blake let Ilia's gaze fall, turning back to take in the crowd, who were all waiting for some official statement. Her father, however, was in no state to give a speech. With a short sigh, Blake gathered her thoughts and began to descend the steps.

Ghira caught sight of his daughter and began to call out to her, but Kali held up a restraining hand before him as they watched Blake come to a stop before the crowd. Similarly, the gathering fell silent as they noticed the young Huntress's presence, waiting for what she would say.

Silently, Blake took in a long breath before she pointed to the burning building behind her. Loud enough for all to hear, she began, "Humans didn't do this. We did this: Faunus. We did this to ourselves." She brought a hand to her chest for emphasis. The crowd stared at her as she paused and let her statement sink in, before continuing, "We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out!" Her gaze steeled as she demanded, "So _why _are we letting Adam do it for us?

"By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. _This _is the message Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we _can _stop him!" she implored. "You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem, and I can't give that to you!"

She paused slightly before going on, "I don't know how to make hate go away; I don't! But I know that this kind of violence is _not _the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is to ask you to put your lives at risk. _But. That's. What's. At. Stake._ So I'm going. And I'll stand by myself if I have to."

"I'll stand with you!"

The crowd began to freshly murmur as Ilia's voice rang through the night air, Blake herself turning in surprise as her friend stepped forward on the porch and made herself known. Ilia wore an uncertain expression, looking away in meek shame as she added, "If… if you'd have me."

Blake paid no heed to the voices behind her as her stunned expression melted into a warm smile of affirmation. Ilia gratefully returned the smile and began to step forward, before Saber grabbed her by the shoulder and began to pull her back. "You're not going anywhere!" he told her roughly, but Blake's next words stopped him.

"Let her come."

"Huh?" Saber stared hard at the young woman below him. "You're just going to forgive her?" he said incredulously. "After everything she did?"

Blake regarded him neutrally. "I am." _Because whether they see it or not, that's the point. _

Clearly reluctant, Saber acquiesced to Blake after receiving an affirmative nod from Ghira, watching with suspicion as Ilia sheepishly drew near to her friend. Turning to his old friend, Saber muttered, "What does she think she's doing?"

Ghira, however, smiled at the scene, watching as his daughter placed a reassuring hand on her redeemed friend. "She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older: that there is strength in forgiveness."

Blake stared into Ilia's eyes, relieved to see her friend returned to her, before they both looked up in surprise at a voice from the crowd. "I'll go!" came the voice of a young ram Faunus as he jostled his way to the front and raised a hand. From the porch, Sun grinned in surprise as he recognized Mata, the young man he had nearly recruited a month before. Several people in the crowd followed his example, eventually dozens stepping forward with various cries of "I'll go to!" or "I'll stand with you!"

Blake smiled as she watched hands shoot up across the crowd and Sun descended the steps next to her. "Looks like we've got work to do," he chuckled.

She looked to him gratefully. "Thank you," she said softly, the words stretching back over the past half year.

Sun grinned at her, then gazed past her to Ilia and frowned. "You stabbed me."

The former spy cringed self-consciously as he brought up their first encounter. "I-_Ow_!" she cried as a finger pinched her shoulder.

Sun smirked ruefully at her. "There. Let's just call it even."

With that, Sun laid the issue to rest, while Kali and Ghira came from behind them to join their daughter and her friends at the base of the steps. Ghira turned to face the small group. "We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven. We're going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible."

Kali chimed in at his side. "We'll need transportation, too. For everyone."

Between Blake and Sun's experience at Beacon and Saber's guard pitching in, the training would be easy, if brief. As for transportation… Blake and Sun traded a knowing grin, before she said, "I think I know a ship captain who owes us a favor."

**Author's Note: How's that for a little bit of world-building, eh? If you forgot, Celeste is the name I gave to the guard who checked briefly on Blake in the first chapter. While it was never explicitly stated in show, their voices and Faunus traits were similar, so I assumed that guard and the one assisting Kali in this chapter were the same woman. Also dropped a little hint of a possible past between Saber and the Albain brothers. Just little details I noticed while watching. Please enjoy! - Jek**

**P.S. Enjoy another double upload, to make up for days missed over the weekend!**


	71. The More the Merrier

**Chapter Eleven: The More the Merrier**

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

A full moon in Remnant was always a spectacular sight, no matter where the beholder was located. Any late-night stargazer would cast their wondering gaze upon the fragmented orb as it faced the planet's surface and glowed brightly in the night sky, the large, broken fragments appearing like enormous quartz crystals silhouetted by the luminescent satellite.

Tonight was no different, as the celestial beacon of the night shined down brightly on the small group of Huntsmen and Huntresses that approached Haven Academy together. Heading up the pack was Qrow Branwen, his hands typically shoved into his pockets, while behind him the three members from JNPR and from RWBY, as well as Oscar, followed in close step with the elder Huntsman.

Qrow was still a tad uneasy about the suddenness of Leo's change in political efficacy with the Council, but after further discussion with Ozpin, both had elected to set aside their suspicions while keeping an eye out for anything abnormal from the headmaster.

Ruby cast a glance to the side and took in the sight of Mistral's CCT Tower, a tall, needle-like spire supported by several thin struts. Not nearly as tall as the currently offline tower at Beacon, the structure had a thin, tapered build, almost like a lighthouse, with a steeply sloped roof that still showed hints of the artistic design of Mistralian architecture.

Oscar was trailing behind the group, and Ruby stopped and waited for him to catch up, smiling briefly at him as he walked past her, before she turned and gazed up at the moon and followed after her friends and uncle.

Once inside, the group let the door slowly close with a deep _thud _behind them as they walked into the school's main lecture hall, where various smaller hallways branched off to the classrooms, offices, and training areas of the academy, as well as a second floor with a railing that overlooked the vast hall. The room was wide and rectangular, with a high ceiling that echoed even slight sounds that was supported by dozens of dark wooden columns built into the olive-green walls.

Before the students and Qrow loomed a large staircase with a handrail that split to two sides, constructed of the same wood as the pillars. The stairs on either side flanked the room's centerpiece: a large, carved marble image of a woman with outstretched arms, hair and cloak billowing behind her as if from wind. The statue's wrists each sported a golden chain that trailed down to its waist, where a thinner chain was wrapped, and its arms supported a small platform that extended from the top of the staircase. Gazing down from the platform was Professor Leonardo Lionheart, absent his dark burgundy coat. A small, Faunus lion tail that usually remained hidden by the coat swished slowly behind his legs.

"Why hello," the headmaster greeted them as they drew near, his welcome echoing off of the tall ceiling. "Thank you for, er…" he paused, as if perturbed by something, "...coming. There… seems to be more of you than last time," he finished with a small chuckle, spreading his hands.

Qrow looked up at the other man. "Eh, you know what they say, 'the more, the merrier.' So what's going on with the Council?"

Leo looked as if he hadn't even heard Qrow, his gaze surveying the group worriedly. "Why… did you bring your weapons?" he asked, his hands traveling behind his back."

Qrow looked up in confusion, a bit of the old suspicions beginning to return to his mind. "What? Leo, we're _Huntsmen_. Are you okay?"

"Of course, Of course! Sorry," Leo quickly apologized, "just haven't had my evening coffee."

"Look," Qrow went on, trying to dismiss the awkward greeting, "it's nice to see you, but, uh, we got work to do. Are we getting support from the Council or not?"

As the men had been talking, Yang, Weiss, and Oscar and all been gazing around the splendor of the hall in awe, having not been there when RNJR had come with Qrow on his first meeting with Lionheart. The trio took in the masterful architecture with wide eyes, but while Weiss and Oscar tore their gaze away from the impressive sight to pay attention to the conversation, Yang had caught a glimpse of something that had warranted a second glance.

At first, she thought it was a shadow, her mind playing tricks on her, but upon further scrutiny, there was no doubt about it. Perched on the second floor railing was a small, black bird with beady red eyes. A raven, intently watching the meeting unfold.

Confused, Yang murmured, "Mom?"

At her words, both Qrow and Lionheart's eyes darted to the side, immediately fixing on the animal. Before anyone else could react, Qrow whipped his scythe from his back and took aim, firing with deadly speed at the perched bird. The raven took flight as the shot shattered the wood behind it with a slight caw, then swooped low in a swift dive behind Lionheart before the woman morphed back to her true form as she emerged from Leo's other side, regarding the gathering coolly from behind her Grimm mask.

Qrow kept his scythe leveled threateningly at his sister, while Ruby's gaze narrowed at the woman. "Raven," she muttered.

Beside her, Nora was startled at the transformation, which had been so swift she'd barely been able to process it. "They… they really are magic!" she said in awe.

Beside Leo, Raven removed her helmet and glared at her brother, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "If you're going to shoot me, _shoot _me. That was insulting."

Qrow didn't bite, his voice barely contained rage. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

Raven began to descend the left staircase, her eyes never leaving Qrow's. "I could ask you they same thing," she said, still smiling sinisterly. "You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister."

At that, Qrow's eyes widened as he looked back up at the headmaster. "Leo, what have you _done?!_"

Leo looked as if he wanted to answer but was too ashamed to know how. "I-I—"

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position," Raven cut him off, finally coming to a stop in front of the students and Qrow. "He looked at all the information in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice." She placed her hand on her hip. "And it seems you all have too," she added with a pointed glance at Yang, who tensed with a growl but kept herself in check.

"You have the Spring Maiden," Qrow said. It wasn't a question.

"I do," Raven acknowledged.

Qrow put away his weapon, apparently trying negotiation. "Then hand her over and we can work together! We can beat Salem—"

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There _is _no beating Salem!" Raven spat.

"You're wrong."

The bandit leader's crimson gaze flickered over to Ruby, who stared back at her with conviction. "We've done things that most people would call impossible," the young Silver-Eyed Warrior continued. "And I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone. We had people to teach us, people to help us; we had each other." Ruby looked at Raven earnestly. "Work _with _us." Beside her, Yang glanced at her in astonishment, but before she could say anything, her sister went on, "At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together." She stepped forward, offered a hand. "Please."

Raven glanced down at the young girl's hand. When she looked back up, her eyes held withering contempt. In a soft, brittle voice, Raven replied, "You sound… just like your mother." Suddenly, the bandit woman spurred into action, a hand flying to her hip as she drew her sword and sliced to the side, opening the red vortex of one of her Semblance's portals. Immediately, a ball of fire launched from the portal, flying across the room to strike Ruby, who was sent flying back with a pained cry.

Yang shouted her sister's name and rushed to her side, the rest of the group stunned by the speed of the attack. However, as Ruby sat back up with Yang's help and her eyes fell upon the portal, she watched as the fireball's creator stepped into view.

Grinning like the proverbial cat that had cornered the canary, Cinder Fall walked into the room with sinister elegance, followed shortly by Emerald, Mercury, and Vernal. "Hello, boys and girls," the Fall Maiden greeted malevolently.

Ruby glared at the woman from the ground. "Cinder…"

Weiss gasped, while Oscar and Qrow both stiffened and tensed themselves for a possible attack as the new arrivals took their places beside Raven.

Mercury was his typical self, smirking nastily at the group as he said , "Come on, guys, is that any way to greet your own friends?"

Having helped Ruby back to her feet, Yang growled and stared at him with blazing eyes, hands clenched into tight fists. Qrow, wanting to avoid conflict for as long as possible, held her back with a raised arm. "Everyone stay calm," he ordered evenly, though his hard stare at Cinder matched his nieces'.

Suddenly, from behind, there came the sound of the academy's doors opening. As one, the group of betrayed heroes turned and watched as a tall, broad man in a green coat strode into the room and closed the heavy doors behind him. Though the other's had never seen him before, Oscar's eyes went wide as he whispered, "Oh no."

In his deep voice, Hazel Rainart announced to Cinder, "The White Fang are prepping demolitions and securing the school grounds." He turned to the group, scowling. "No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

Outside, the White Fang had indeed arrived, several soldiers having swarmed over the CCT Tower to plant explosives, while others formed a perimeter. Coordinating the procedure was Adam, who gestured to his men as he conveyed his orders. "Once the charges are set, move back to perimeter watch." His grin was as bloodthirsty as it was sadistic. "Tonight, Haven falls!"

Hazel walked away from the doors and strode into the middle of the room behind the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses. The students looked back to Cinder, who sneered at them. Weiss was the first to speak, her voice low. "This was all just a trap?"

"It appears so," Ren affirmed at her side.

"Raven." Qrow's tone was deadly. "Tell me. How long have you been with them?"

Cinder's smile became mockingly sympathetic. "Aw, don't take it personally, little bird," she said as she stepped forward, "your sister was a recent addition." She gestured to the balcony above her. "The lion, on the other hand…"

Qrow's gaze became murderous as it shifted up to Leo, who looked as if his shame were a physical burden. "Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a _real _treat," Cinder continued with her gloating, "but Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, _very_ long time. Isn't that right, Professor?"

Leo's eyes were closed tightly, his self-hatred apparent. "Stop it!" he hissed at his tormenter futilely.

"It was _you_."

Leo opened his eyes to meet Qrow's accusation. "You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom." Qrow sounded more like an enraged animal than a person. "And you gave it all to her."

Feebly, Leo began, "I—"

"I couldn't find any of them," Qrow interrupted. "Because you let her kill them!"

Seeing the headmaster's crestfallen expression, Cinder continued with her spiteful placating. "Oh, don't be too hard on yourself, Lionheart. I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would have found them all on their own eventually."

"_What is wrong with you?_"

Cinder's good eye flicked to the side, to the blond boy with the bowed head who was breathing heavily. Ruby turned at Jaune's voice, uneasy from his tone. "How can you be so broken inside?" he demanded. "To take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be _proud _of!"

The rest of the teammates looked at him in concern. "Jaune!" Nora cautioned in a warning voice.

However, Jaune would have none of it. A kind smile and a pair of emerald eyes flashed through his mind as he finally lifted his head, his face a mask of rage as tears flooded down his cheeks. "All with that _damn _smile on your face!" he shouted.

Cinder's smile evaporated as she witnessed Jaune's breakdown. Beside him, Ruby and Yang deployed their weapons, tensing for a fight that could erupt at any moment. Qrow, still trying to maintain order, held out his hands. "Everybody, stay calm."

Jaune was heedless of the man's order, still staring down Cinder. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!"

"Kid!" Qrow said desperately as on the other side, Nora and Weiss also readied their weapons. Qrow looked around, realizing that the tenuous peace was mere moments from evaporating as Jaune continued shouting.

"_Well?!_" the young Huntsman demanded. "_**Say something!**_"

There was a long, ominous pause as Jaune's words rang through the air. Finally, Cinder, who had gazed at him blankly the entire time, asked nonchalantly, "Who are you again?"

Jaune blinked, his mouth dropping open in stunned shock. How? _How could she not know?! _Jaune felt his jaw clench. His vision went red. With a growl, he thumbed the switch on his sword that transformed it into the broadsword and dashed forward, little more than a frenzied beast as he sprinted at Cinder with a warrior's cry.

Cinder merely smirked again as she held a hand up. In her palm, a sword of smooth stone that glowed from internal fire formed courtesy of her Maiden powers, and as Jaune came in with his mighty strike, the woman held her ground and blocked with her own blade. The impact reverberated around the room; the golden chains on the statue's wrists jingled slightly from the force.

The pleasantries were through. "Jaune!" Ruby cried, launching herself forward with her rifle as she transformed it into the scythe in midair, prepared to come to her friend's aid. However, a curved sickle blade at the end of a chain reached out from the ground and snagged her mid flight, yanking her roughly back to the ground.

Emerald leered down at her, retraction her blade. "You're not going near her."

With a smile of enjoyment, Cinder thrust Jaune back and came after him with the sword as their fight began. Yang, seeing Ruby's plight, rushed forward to help her sister, but the Emerald's silver-clad partner jumped into her path. "Hey there, Blondie!" Merc said with a sneer. "I'm thinking you owe me an apology for my leg. Don't ya think?" Yang scowled at him and fired herself forward into the fray.

At the side, Raven watched with interest as the chaos began. The meeting hall would soon become a battleground, and, though only temporarily Cinder's ally, she would need to maintain the facade. "Take out the heiress," she ordered Vernal. "Don't bother wasting your power, she's not worth it." Raven turned as she finished speaking and quickly brought her sword up to bear as Qrow locked blades with her, the twins engaging in a fierce showdown.

"Running away was one thing," Qrow said as their blade's spat sparks," but _this_… You've crossed the line."

"Sorry, brother," Raven replied with a grimace. "Sometimes family disappoints you like that."

"We're not family anymore," Qrow said, leaning against the blade.

Raven looked at him incredulously. "Were we ever?"

"I thought so… but I guess I was wrong!"

With that, Qrow flipped backwards twice as Raven chased after him and managed to deliver a quick kick to his stomach that thrust him away. As the Branwen siblings began their duel, that left Weiss standing alone on the left side of the hall to face down Vernal.

The bandit woman sized her up, her circular bladed guns at the ready. "Let's see what the Schnee name really means."

Weiss stared at her opponent and leveled Myrtenaster at Vernal in challenge. "I'm more than a name."

"Hmm. Prove it."

With a cry, Weiss cast a glyph beneath herself and flew towards Vernal. One of the last remaining occupants of the room not yet locked in a struggle, Oscar watched as the heiress and the bandit clashed, his gaze slowly traveling upwards to where Leo was observing the skirmishes. Slowly, the boy began to creep to the side and make his way up the stairs, meaning that Nora and Ren were the only two of the students left who could face down Hazel.

The large man regarded the duo with apparent neutrality. "I don't wish to fight either of you," he grated out in his deep voice.

"Nor I you," Ren replied stoically, his pistols in hand.

Beside him, Nora hefted Magnhild. "But we will if you're with her!"

Hazel stared a moment longer, then cracked his neck and knuckles as he began to lumber forward. "Very well then."

Overhead, the traitor watched the mayhem his deeds had wrought and wilted. Lionheart hadn't wanted this; he hadn't wanted any of this! Why was he so hopeless? Why was he such a _coward?!_ Footsteps from the side invaded his internal battle, and he turned to regard a young boy, younger than all the rest of the students, who, despite his ragged farmhand apparel, stared at the headmaster with firmness from the bottom of the steps leading to the platform.

Leo couldn't help but pity the boy. "Young man," he said, "I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but for your own sake, I suggest you leave, now!"

Oscar looked up at the headmaster, and Leo was surprised to see contempt in his eyes as he began to climb the steps to the platform. "I'm warning you!" Leo repeated as he leveled his weapon, a Dust gauntlet that unfolded into a golden disk, at the boy.

Oscar paused, then reached behind himself for a weapon. "That's enough!" Leo cried. The professor grabbed his disk, which contained numerous types of Dust, and spun it quickly, stopping it on fire-type Dust. With no pause, the traitor spun again and selected earth Dust, combining the two on a small casting glyph that projected from his gauntlet. From the glyph emerged a flaming boulder that the headmaster hurled forward at the boy.

Oscar braced himself back and crossed his arms as he called up his Aura, the rock cracking in a cloud of dust that shrouded him momentarily. When the dust cleared, Leo looked on in shock at the sight of the boy taking the hit in stride and retrieving his weapon. The headmaster looked down at the small, silver handle, ornately carved in Oscar's hand. Oscar thumbed the trigger, the cane projecting to life in his hand.

Leo blanched in startled realization. "_Ozpin?_" he rasped in surprise.

Oscar smirked. "Not quite." With a yell, he rushed forward, gripping the cane two-handed as he swung with all his might at Lionheart. The headmaster retreated against the railing, shielding himself with his glyph gauntlet, before stumbling away from a downward strike.

However, Leo forgot his position and slipped as he came against the stairs, staggering down them as he fought to stay upright. Oscar barley gave him a chance to breathe, jumping down the stairs with more blows from the cane as he battered Leo back.

The headmaster fell back form the boy, still shocked. "This can't be. I knew you would be back, but… you made it here, you found Qrow! How?!"

In Oscar's head, Ozpin regarded his former friend. "_Leo, what happened to you?_"

A thought seemed to occur to Lionheart. "Wait. You can't have had this form for long. You're… not really Ozpin right now. You're a _boy_, a _child! _If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me, and I can finally get out of all of this!" The man's eyes seemed to take on fresh desperation. "I can finally be _free!_"

With renewed vigor, Lionheart took aim with his disk, while Oscar took a step back, slightly intimidated by Leo's words. To Ozpin, he asked, "What do I do?"

Ozpin's answer was simple and direct. "_Fight_." Oscar blinked, taken off guard by the concise instruction, then shrugged and leaped forward to engage Leo, locking the last of the hall's audience in combat.

Down below, Weiss was spiriting around the room with her glyphs, dodging Vernal's weapons as they whizzed like boomerangs through the air. With practiced grace, Weiss leaped from one glyph to the next, twisting her body and letting the projectiles fly past her head. Vernal took a potshot at the heiress, which Weiss easily blocked with Myrtenaster as she leaped backwards. Unfortunately, Weiss cried out as she felt herself strike a pillar hard and fell to the ground, dizzied by the unexpected blow.

Weiss looked up and gasped as she brought her rapier to bear use in time to deflect one of the bladed guns that had been inches from her face. Vernal dashed forward to take advantage of Weiss's blunder, but the heiress thought quickly and zipped away courtesy of a gravity glyph spawned at her palm. Now with space between the two, Weiss summoned up a wall of ice with her weapon and stabbed the rapier into the ground as she began to channel her Aura into her Summoning.

The familiar glyph spun to life before her, a large, armored arm emerging as the White Knight began to haul itself out of the glyph. However, a flash of energy sliced through Weiss's wall and beheaded the Summon before it could fully form, the Arma Gigas vanishing before her.

Caught off guard, Weiss wasn't ready for one of the spinning blades to sneak over what was left of her wall and catch her in the face, denting her Aura as it threw her back. Myrtenaster flew from her grasp and clattered to her feet as the blade flew back through the air to its owner. Vernal leered at her. "Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out."

On the other side of the hall, Jaune was thrown onto his back by a powerful thrust form Cinder, who laughed as she towered over him. "I'm starting to remember you! You're the dense one who can't tell when he's out of his league."

Angered at her jests, Jaune quickly got back to his feet and swung at her again. Ruby watched as the Fall Maiden easily blocked, clearly toying with her friend. However, any intention to assist Jaune was thrust from her mind as a sickle blade snapped out at her and caught the staff or Crescent Rose. Emerald held both of her pistols out and began to pepper Ruby with fire.

The younger girl twisted her scythe and caught the bullets on her staff. "Why are you doing this?!" Ruby begged. "Salem's—"

"I don't _care _about Salem!" Emerald cut her off. "But I owe Cinder everything." She ceased fire for a moment. "You want to fight her that bad? Be my guest." Suddenly, Emerald disappeared in a burst of fire, and in her place was Cinder, who flew forward with her blade outstretched. Ruby braced to block, but the apparition flew right through her as Emerald dashed forward and swiped the young Huntress's legs out from under her.

Ruby's hand brushed her trigger as she fell, accidentally firing a round across the room to whiz by Weiss's head. The heiress didn't even flinch, too caught up in her own engagement with Vernal to notice as she blocked one of the bandit's own shots. Vernal tried to leap atop her, but Weiss flipped her over her head with a gravity glyph and tried to focus her concentration on her Semblance before she was felled by a shot to the back as Vernal recovered. Quickly, Weiss got back to her feet and began to dance through the air on her glyphs again as she blocked shot after shot from Vernal's weapons.

One of the blades came flying at her, but she blocked it back as Vernal came at her again. The bandit caught her weapon and locked blades with Weiss before the heiress thrust her back and up into the air with more gravity glyphs and stabbed her weapon again into the ground to try and Summon. However, Vernal recovered too quickly, and Weiss opened her eyes as she felt blades lock against her own.

Weiss had only fought once since the Battle of Beacon, against the Lancer's on Edmond's ship during her journey to Mistral, and she hadn't fought a human enemy since the Vytal Festival Tournament. Back then, Weiss hadn't had her Semblance yet, forced instead to rely on her training and her skill to get her through the fight. However, in the six months since then, she had grown rusty, and had become giddy over the use of her Semblance.

Too late, the heiress had remembered that there was more to her fighting style than just her Semblance, even as Vernal smirked darkly at her and twisted her blades inward, letting loose twin streams of energy into Weiss's torso that instantly broke her Aura and tore a pained cry from her lips.

The cry echoed around the hall, reaching Jaune's ears as he turned toward's Weiss in concern. Cinder noticed his gaze and jabbed darkly, "Are you gonna let her die too?"

A nerve touched, fresh tears of angered anguish streamed down Jaune's face as he shouted, "Stop messing with me!"

"If that's what you want," Cinder replied with a grin. She extended her hand out, the glow in her sword brightening before the hardened stone exploded outward, forcing Jaune to turn away. When he turned back, his eyes widened at the sight of a new sword, this one of pure fire, that now rested in the Maiden's hand.

With sadistic glee, Cinder flew forward, her sword trailing embers. Jaune, too far gone to think rationally, let loose a battle cry and sprinted forward to meet her, his own sword held high.

Ruby, still locked against Emerald, turned at the sound of his shout, her eyes widening as she took in the scene of Cinder preparing to run Jaune through as her friend rushed headlong towards a battle he couldn't win.

_Battle he couldn't win._

_Battle she couldn't win._

_Couldn't win._

For a moment, Ruby was no longer in Haven's meeting hall, but on the roof of the CCT Tower, now in shambles from the Dragon's attack, and watching in helpless horror as she arrived too late and watched the glass arrow pierce Pyrrha's heart…

"_**NOOO!**_" the girl screamed, a power that she had only felt once before flooding the room and plunging everything into bright white light. Then, something hit the back of her head and everything went dark.

Emerald retracted her blade as Ruby fell, unconscious from the blow to the back of her head. Everyone in the room blinked for a second as the light faded from blinded eyes. When Jaune's eyes cleared he found himself standing before Cinder, who had fallen to her knees before him, clutching her cloaked left arm as she groaned and hissed in pain.

Cinder felt the old but familiar pain of the Silver Eye power wash over her body in waves but quickly start to fade due to Emerald's quick action. She looked up and was nearly speared through the head. On pure instinct, Cinder threw herself to the side as Jaune's sword came hurtling through the space where her head had been, just barely grazing a chip of stone from the side of the dark black mask that obscured the Maiden's scarred face.

Jaune fell forward with his momentum, carried by his attempted stab to the ground, where his head hit hard. He groaned for a moment, dazed by the impact, while Cinder staggered to her feet with a growl of fresh rage. She closed the distance between Jaune and herself and violently brought her foot down onto his chest.

"Did you think you _actually _had a chance against me? _You?!_" Cinder demanded, furious. Beneath her foot, Jaune groaned, feebly reaching to the side to try and reach Crocea Mors, which had slipped from his grasp.

At the pathetic display, Cinder's glare turned to a glower. "You're just a failure with a death wish."

Jaune grunted beneath her as he strained against her foot, only to be shoved back down. "If I die buying them time, the it's worth it! They're the ones that matter!"

Cinder looked up and followed his gaze, watching as on one side, Yang dueled Mercury, both of them flying around each other; while on the other, Nora and Ren both battled Hazel. A twisted idea began to germinate in the Fall Maiden's mind. She looked back at him with a chilling smile. "You think so?" She looked up again, watching as Vernal tossed Weiss across the room. The heiress got to her knees, struggling to rise and unaware of the danger approaching from behind her.

Cinder left Jaune on the ground and walked forward, summoning a lance with her powers as she grinned. Jaune got to his hands and knees and looked up, only now realizing her intention. "No!" He stretched out his hand in futility and screamed, "_**No!**_"

Heedless of his protest, Cinder took aim, reared back, and threw.

Weiss was panting on her knees, still trying to get back on her feet, when suddenly, she felt something strike her hard below her ribs. With a jerk, she gasped from the impact, her head slowly, almost haltingly, traveling down to look at herself.

Protruding through her body was Cinder's lance, the fire within glowing wickedly as Weiss gasped. Her breath began to quicken into hoarse panting, her arms twitching as if she might attempt to pull the weapon out, but wasn't sure how.

Drawn by Jaune's scream, the fighting ceased. Everyone turned once more and gazed in mixed expressions of triumph and horror at the sight of Weiss impaled on the spear. Jaune looked on hopelessly, fresh tears falling from his eyes. _Emerald eyes, her tender lips, her clear regret. _

_I'm sorry._

Weiss gasped for a moment more before her arms fell to her sides, a wave of warm fatigue spreading through her limbs. Even though her mind fought to tell her to stay awake, the heiress's eyes fluttered. The last thing Weiss thought before the darkness claimed her was how the pain was surprisingly little. _Probably… because I'm… in… shock… _ The lance in her side dissolving into ash, she slumped.

Eyes drifting shut, Weiss Schnee fell forward into oblivion.

**Author's Note: I'll be honest, upon my first viewing, the first words out of my mouth were, "She touched my baby!" I don't care who you are, but that up there? That was the opposite of okay. - Jek**


	72. Vault of the Spring Maiden

**Chapter Twelve: Vault of the Spring Maiden**

"_Weiss!_"

In the silence, Jaune's scream tore through the air like a gunshot. To Cinder, who watched the fallen heiress with a sinister smirk, it was music to her ears. Chest heaving, Jaune staggered quickly to his feet and scooped up his sword before sprinting forward past the Fall Maiden. Cinder let him pass, relishing his anguish.

Jaune's shout had sparked a lull in the fighting, all the combatants momentarily ceasing as they watched the young Huntsman dash to his friend's side. Above, on the balcony, Oscar looked on with the shock the rest of their team felt as he watched Jaune kneel down next to Weiss, frantically gathering her into his arms like a fragile doll. The utter despair in Jaune's cry echoing in the farmboy's ears, Oscar's eyes drifted to the left, where he noticed for the first time the prone form of Ruby, lying unconscious on the ground from Emerald's attack.

Together, this double blow was staggering, and the only thing Oscar could think to do was to get down to his friends and help. The boy glared at Lionheart, who had turned like everyone towards Weiss and Jaune, and gave a fierce cry as he struck with the cane. _Hard_. The strike, fueled by Oscar's anger, took the traitorous headmaster off guard, catching him across the torso with enough force to knock him backwards and make him lose his footing. Grunting the entire way, Lionheart tumbled backwards down the stairs, falling down both flights until he was stopped at the bottom by the hulking form of Hazel, who was barely budged by the headmaster's impact.

Oscar had dashed down the other side of the staircase the moment Leo had begun to fall, quickly coming to Ruby's side. Nora arrived at the same moment with the same idea, using the brief respite to try and help their leader. "Ruby, get up!" the young boy implored, shaking her shoulder urgently. "Get up! We need you!"

Panting and aching from his fall down the stairs, Leo gave a surprised "_Ulp!_" as one of Hazel's massive mitts grasped him by the collar and lifted him effortlessly into the air as if he weighed nothing. "You're lettin' that boy make a fool of you," the larger man rumbled disdainfully.

Lionheart looked at him wildly. "That's not just a boy; it's _Ozpin!_" he protested. Hazel's eyes widened at the name as Leo continued, "He's already reincarnated!"

His interest suddenly elsewhere, Hazel dropped the headmaster absently as he looked over to the small group of Oscar and Nora huddled over Ruby. The boy looked familiar, as if they had met somewhere before, but what drew Hazel's attention was the gleam of silver in the boy's hand, the intricately carved handle of Ozpin's cane. "_Ozpin,_" the giant murmured, his shoulders beginning to heave as his breath came in harsh, grunting growls.

On the floor, Ruby groaned slightly, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to return to consciousness, and Oscar urgently shook her. "Ruby, you-"

"_**Ozpin!**_" The shout thundered across the room, drawing everyone's eye but Jaune and Ren, who were tending to Weiss. Oscar's eyes came up, staring at the massive, wild-eyed tank that was Hazel as the man began to approach. In his head, Oscar was shocked to hear fear in Ozpin's voice. "_Oh no…_"

Hazel looked at Oscar with the mindless rage of a Goliath and the lumbering mass to match. "You thought you could hide from _**me?!**_" With both hands, Hazel ripped his olive coat off of his body, exposing his black undershirt and a belt with two brown pouches, one on each hip. The behemoth's hands dipped into the leather satchels, drawing out two yellow Dust crystals from each. "You'll pay for what you did," he said furiously. His arms spread wide, the crystals clenched in his fists. "You'll die! Over and _over _again!"

With that, Hazel plunged the Dust into his own arms. The wounds didn't seem to bleed, a golden shimmer travelling up his limbs. Veins popped out and glowed with yellow light as a spiderweb of electricity sizzled across his forearms. Eyes snapping open in rage, Hazel let loose a roar, the power of the Dust distorting his voice as he glared at Oscar.

Oscar had risen from his place beside Ruby, staring back at the enraged and now-empowered man, cane held up and wary of attack. "Do-do we fight?" he stammered uncertainly to Ozpin.

Ozpin's voice replied with an immediate order. "_No, run!_"

Hazel leaped forward in a crushing blow, ready to squash Oscar underfoot, but Qrow was there in an instant. The Huntsman's brawl with his sister had paused when Weiss was injured, and both had watched as Hazel confronted Oscar. Now, as the huge, supercharged enemy leaped forward to crush the paralysed boy, Qrow leaped into action, pushing Oscar to the side and holding the boy tightly to his chest, scythe in hand.

Cinder, upon hearing the shout, had been jarred from her gloating and looked for the source. At first, she had been shocked to see that it was Hazel who had shouted with such vehemence, knowing him from previous encounters to be a quiet and solitary soul. Now, having watched as the entire encounter played out, the Fall Maiden's good eye narrowed in surprise and anger.

"Ozpin is _here?!_" Cinder hissed to herself.

Raven had joined her as Qrow had rushed to save Oscar and stood at her side with Vernal in tow. "Is that a problem?" the bandit leader asked.

Cinder's head dipped as she thought for a moment, brow furrowed in momentary uncertainty. Ozpin had most definitely _not _factored into Salem's plans for the Fall of Haven, but from the looks of it, his new host was still inexperienced, not much of a threat. However, looks could be deceiving, as she well knew. "I'm not sure," she replied to Raven, "but right now we've got the upper hand. Let's not waste it. Leo!"

To the side, the turncoat had gotten back to his hands and knees, and he turned when Cinder called his name. "Open the path to the vault!" she ordered. Not arguing, the headmaster scrambled to his feet and approached the large, marble statue of the woman beneath the balcony.

Reaching within his brown vest, Leo withdrew his small pocket watch and placed it into a tiny, open socket on the statue's golden necklace. With a click, the watch fell into place, the hands beginning to spin rapidly. All at once, the entire statue shifted slightly, the platform above moving as well as the woman began to sink into the ground. Cinder, Raven, and Vernal approached the elevator, preparing to board and travel to the vault beneath the school.

Towards the doors to the main hall, Yang watched as her mother began to board the elevator, her gaze travelling from the elevator to Jaune and Ren huddled over Weiss's fallen form, then to Nora, who knelt beside Ruby on the other side. The hammer wielder met her gaze and shouted, "Stop them! We've got your team covered."

Yang stared at Ruby for a moment longer, then closed her eyes and steeled herself as she turned to follow the three women into the vault. However, as she turned, a flash of silver metal and a hard blow to the head sprawled her to her knees. When she looked up, head throbbing, Emerald and Mercury towered over her with menace.

"You wanna get to them?" Emerald said. "You're going to have to get through _all _of us." Her eyes narrowed slightly in concentration, and Mercury wore a nasty grin as he crossed his arms. With a shimmer, he split into three copies, which continued to duplicate until Yang found herself surrounded by the silver-clad boys spawned by Emerald's Semblance.

While Yang was occupied, Jaune and Ren were both huddled over Weiss, Jaune's hands pressed tightly to the bleeding hole in her stomach. Ren grimaced as he held her wrist, feeling for a pulse.

"Ren, talk to me!" Jaune ordered.

The other boy shook his head. Weiss's pulse was weak and sporadic, and her breathing was coming quick and shallow. While he had learned how to treat ailments during his time in the wilderness both before and after Beacon, not only was he lacking said treatments, but he also doubted they would be able to do anything for a wound this grievous. Uselessly, he met his leader's gaze. "This is bad."

Jaune's eyes widened. He looked down at the unconscious girl clinging to her as if he could help her fight for her life. "No no no no not again!" he begged. "Weiss, c'mon, please!" He couldn't do this again. He couldn't take another blow.

The cause of Jaune's grief watched with a scowl as Vernal stepped onto the platform. Cinder turned to Lionheart, pinning him in place with her one good eye. "Make sure they leave Ruby _alive,_" she instructed coldly. "This won't take long." Cinder could have easily targeted Ruby instead of Weiss with her spear, but killing the girl while she was unconscious was too good for her. The Fall Maiden wanted to see the terror in the young Huntress's eyes, wanted to relish in her agonized horror as she realized that Cinder's twisted visage would be the last thing she would ever see. The thought almost made Cinder smile as she joined Vernal on the platform.

Behind her, Raven, who was still harboring suspicions of the Fall Maiden's true intent and planning her own schemes, turned back to the battle and watched as Yang brawled vainly with Emerald and Mercury. She shook her head disdainfully, but took no action. There were more important things to focus on. Clearing her mind, Raven stepped onto the platform as it disappeared down the shaft, taking the three women to the Vault of the Spring Maiden.

The women's departure didn't have much impact on the other combatants, particularly Hazel, who was pursuing Oscar like a man possessed. With his Dust-enhanced strength, speed, and rage, the already fearsome man had become a brutal maniac, slamming his fists into the ground in an effort to crush the small boy. Oscar leaped away, ignoring the pleading voice of Ozpin in his mind.

"_Oscar!_"

"No!" the boy shouted back, quickly dodging another fist.

"_Oscar!_" Ozpin said again, desperately.

"I told you, no!" Oscar retorted, before a fist slammed into him like a missile and rocketed him across the room. With a pained grunt, he slammed into one of the large wooden columns supporting the second floor. Even as his aura took the hit, it took him a dizzying moment to regain his footing.

"_Please, let me take over!_" Ozpin implored. "_I can handle him!_"

Oscar shook his head as he clambered to his feet. "You told me I needed to fight for myself!" He leveled the cane at Hazel once more. "So I will!"

Ozpin's voice held no small measure of insistence. "This _is not your fight._"

The boy cocked an eyebrow, confused. "What does that mean? Why is he so upset with us?"

"He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy?" came the low voice of Hazel as the giant approached with lumbering steps. His voice was more controlled now, still distorted by the Dust but no longer a shout. "I thought you looked familiar," the large man continued. Oscar stiffened, recalling their first encounter at the train station some weeks before. "To think that evil was inside you when our paths first crossed." Hazel looked down at Oscar with a grim expression. He raised his hands over his head, Dust crystals jutting out from his arms. "Your blood won't be on my hands. It'll be on his."

Qrow leaped in from the side, having recovered from an earlier attack of Hazel's, to block the downward strike, but the larger man redirected, slamming his fists into the ground. The shockwave sent the Huntsman and boy both sprawling backwards. Qrow quickly got back to his feet and engaged Hazel, who merely blocked Qrow's sword with his own broad forearms. Oscar watched the encounter from the side, his mind replaying Hazel's words. "What was he talking about?" he asked his mental mentor.

Hazel, holding Qrow's sword at bay, shouted at Oscar, "Tell him, Ozpin! Tell him how you _**killed**_ her!"

Oscar blinked. "Her?"

Ozpin's voice provided a hurried explanation, an image of a young Huntress with blond hair and light brown eyes coming to the forefront of Oscar's mind. "_Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her bother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel… holds me responsible._" Oscar's head dipped in new understanding and empathy before Ozpin continued, "_Please, let me fight. I know Hazel. He's wounded in a way that cannot be healed._"

"You know now!" Hazel thundered. The large man gripped Qrow in a single, massive mitt before flinging him away like a doll and turning back to Oscar. "You can forgive me for what I'm about to do."

"Did she know?"

Hazel paused, squinting at the boy's question. "Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?" Oscar called again.

Hazel looked at him for a fraction of a second before he growled out, "She was only a child! She wasn't ready!"

"She made a choice!" Oscar rebutted. "A choice to put others before herself!" He lifted the cane before himself. "So do I."

Hazel glared at the boy for a moment, his gaze becoming cold. "Then you've chosen death!" he proclaimed.

Oscar met the stare with his own until Ozpin's voice quietly said, "_I'm sorry._"

"What? N-!" Oscar began, before his eyes shimmered and his body fell to the ground. After a moment, the boy looked up, but it was a man's eyes that stared at Hazel now.

Freshly enraged, Hazel's shout was the cry of a furious animal. "_**Ozpin!**_"

While the battle continued, Jaune and Ren grew more urgent by the second as Weiss's health rapidly deteriorated. "She's hardly breathing," Ren said despondently. "I… I don't know what we can do."

Jaune barely heard him, watching as the rise and fall of Weiss's chest slowed to a stop. "No, it wasn't supposed to be like this! Please!" he cried to whatever gods were listening. Voice cracking, he pitifully finished, "We can't lose anyone else…"

Jaune's eyes fell closed in despair, Ren watching his leader lose hope but not knowing what to say; so it was that when a small shimmer of light began to make its way up Weiss's form, neither of them noticed. The gleam of light spawned from Jaune's desperate fingers and pulsed outward over Weiss's body, travelling up across her chest and to her head. Jaune and Ren remained unaware of the new light until both were snapped out of their hopeless reveres as Weiss's body suddenly convulsed and she gasped for breath once more.

* * *

Unlike Beacon's elevator, the compartment that ground its way through layer after layer of rock as it approached the vault had a far more natural feel to it. Haven's symbol glowed with blue light on the floor, as did luminescent lines that travelled with them down the shaft, and a small, simple lever was built into the ground to bring riders up to the surface. The three women sharing the space were all silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Cinder eyed Vernal, who was staring at the ground, with predatory interest.

"Are you nervous, girl?" the Fall Maiden asked with a smile. "The first Maiden in—why, I'm not sure anyone knows how many years—is about to open a vault. I would say it's quite an exciting time." The pyromancer's voice held no small amount of snideness. "Don't you feel honored?"

Vernal didn't bite. "No," she replied quietly, "I'm not concerned with any of this. All I care about is my tribe, my family. This is a burden, not an honor."

Behind her, her mentor looked on in approval of the response, until a scowl painted her lips as Cinder addressed with a chuckle, "You've conditioned her quite well, Raven."

However, the conversation cut off again as the blank rock face that had been in front of the trio throughout the course of the ride gave way to a large, open space. In front of them suddenly there was visible a massive cavern, likely bigger than even the entirety of Haven Academy—a vast, hollowed-out area not unlike that of the Mountain Glenn settlement in the Kingdom of Vale. The rock elevator lowered to a stop before a golden gate, which dropped out of the way before them in segments and sank into the floor.

The gate opening provided an open path towards the cavern's only other ground. Extending out from the elevator was a long, broad strip of stone with three unlit circles stretched out in a line. The final and largest circle rested at the base of a massive piece of stone, around which was entwined the serpent-like form of a tree. The tree, despite having no visible soil in which to grow, flourished with vibrant green leaves, as well as peculiar orange blossoms that glowed with their own light. Set into the base of the rock formation was a large door, presumably behind which awaited the Relic of Knowledge.

Clearly, Haven's vault reflected the artistic nature of the Kingdom. Cinder mused aloud, "Hmm, it's certainly grander than Beacon's. I wonder what the extra effort was for."

If Raven shared the sentiment, she didn't voice it, instead sounding impatient as she asked, "Can we please not linger?"

Cinder's smile was patronizingly polite as she extended a hand forward. "After you."

Vernal, who had been staring in captivated awe at the majesty and sheer size of the vault, shook her head and stepped forward, beginning to walk towards the large golden door. Cinder and Raven traded glances for a moment as Cinder smirked before she too moved forward. Raven brought up the rear, placing her oriental mask over her face as she followed Vernal and Cinder towards the tree.

* * *

Back above ground, Hazel was fighting Ozpin with fresh vigor, throwing tank-like punches that would do serious damage if they could connect. However, Ozpin was far more nimble in Oscar's body and was able to quickly and precisely dodge every attack, scampering to the side as Hazel slammed his fist down where the former headmaster had been standing.

Trying to intervene, Leo took aim from the sidelines with his Dust gauntlet, but a staggering shot from Qrow threw off his aim. The wiry older Huntsman dashed towards his onetime ally and engaged him. Ozpin watched from the corner of his eye, then redirected his attention once more towards Hazel. The lumbering giant was surprisingly graceful in his attacks, but Ozpin was still to quick, dashing from side to side and landing spare blows wherever he could. Landing close to Hazel's body, he pushed off of the man's torso with his feet and rolled towards the staircase.

With the agility of a cat, Ozpin jumped from the wall to the steps, dodging Hazel's electric attacks all the while, and leaped forward to deliver a solid blow to the man's head with the cane. Ozpin adjusted himself quickly and came in with a quick barrage of lightning-fast strikes to Hazel's torso, then dove between his knees and caught him with a chop to the back of his kneecap that staggered the man away and sent him to his knees with his back to Ozpin. The former headmaster twirled his cane in hand and approached Hazel with a grimace, but before he could swing, Hazel reared up and slammed both hands into the ground, unleashing another shockwave of electricity that zapped Ozpin back.

The fight continued to rage, but it was merely background noise to Jaune and Ren, who were both looking down at Weiss in stunned surprise as she began to gasp dryly for breath once more, before her chest gave a healthy heave and her breathing rate began to return to normal. Jaune looked down at his hands, glowing over where her wound was located, and watched as the light that emanated from them washed over Weiss in a full-body shimmer.

"Wha-what's happening?" Jaune murmured quietly. Ren didn't reply, and wouldn't have known how to answer if he had.

However, before either of them could say anything else, a voice that had been silent for much of the battle finally spoke again. "Weiss!" came Ruby's voice, full of concern. Ren and Jaune both looked to the side, where they saw Nora and a freshly-revived Ruby both looking to Weiss. Ruby hurried over and dropped to her knees at her teammate's side. "What happened?" she asked frantically. "What's going on?!"

Ren finally smiled, still feeling Weiss's wrist. The pulse was returning, strong and vibrant. "I think she's going to be okay!" he told Jaune. "She seems to be stabilizing." Ruby still wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but she took Ren's words to be good news and smiled. However, the sounds of combat quickly reached her ears, and she looked over her shoulder to see Yang fighting Mercury and Emerald together. However, Yang charged past Mercury and swung her fist at empty air, unaware that she'd missed her target or that Emerald was affecting her with her Semblance.

Yang looked around wildly for the enemy, but paused as she suddenly saw her mother standing before her, hand threateningly placed on her sword. Before she could fully realize the deception, a steel-clad boot slammed into her wrists again, and Mercury appeared out of thin air with a dizzying barrage of kicks that laid her on the ground.

Ruby watched as her sister was beaten back, then turned at the sounds of Hazel and Ozpin's fight. The headmaster was doing well, but a lucky shot by Lionheart from the side managed to catch him on the shoulder. Hazel took the moment to strike, but Qrow shoved Ozpin out of the way and took the blow himself, his back bowing backwards as the electricity zapped him and sent him flying with a pained cry.

Ruby looked back at Weiss and lifted Jaune's hands from the wound. The cloth was torn and still stained by blood, but the wound itself seemed to have healed over, and white Aura continued to stream from Jaune's hands to Weiss's body. "Whatever you're doing, don't stop," she told him.

"I won't," he nodded, before concentrating on his task again.

"Good," she said. She looked back over her shoulder. "Oscar needs help."

"I'm on it," Ren said, retrieving Storm Flower from his hips.

"Jaune and Weiss still need cover."

Nora stepped up, Magnhild held at the ready. "No one's gonna touch them."

Ruby smiled up at her friends. "Okay." She stood and picked up Crescent Rose. "Make it happen, RNJR!" With that, she transformed her weapon into its scythe mode and fired, somersaulting herself into the air with a battle cry to land across the hall in front of Yang and sweep Emerald and Mercury away, who both backed off and regarded her warily as she eyed them down.

"Thanks sis," Yang said as she got back to her feet. "You okay?"

"No," the young Huntress replied, silver eyes flashing like hardened iron before she charged back into the mix. "I'm angry."

* * *

In the vault, the trio of women approached the doorway to the Relic. As they neared the first circle on the ground, it lit up like a glyph and glowed bright, cyan blue. The blue light spread down the line to the other two circles, illuminating the platform. Within the center of each circle, a white fleur-de-lis also shined with artistic beauty, and as the circles activated, the glowing blossoms on the tree grew brighter and began to fall on an unknown breeze.

Vernal reached up and caught one of the small petals on her hand, before Cinder's voice behind her asked snidely, "Having fun?" The young bandit glanced back in annoyance as the small petal disintegrated at her fingertips.

"Vernal, stay focused," Raven instructed.

"Oh, come now, Raven," Cinder chided, "let her enjoy this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Vernal stared up at the massive golden door. "How does this work?"

Cinder replied, "Once the Spring Maiden places her hand on the door, it will open. For you, and only you. Then, _I _will walk into the vault and retrieve the Relic. Is that clear?" she asked.

"Yes," Vernal affirmed.

Raven's hands found her hips indifferently. "It doesn't matter to us. Let's get this over with."

"Alright, then. Vernal?" The bandit looked back at Cinder. "When you're ready."

Wordlessly, Vernal complied, walking forward across the final, broadest circle to approach the door. Raven watched from behind her mask as her lieutenant walked forward. _Now, _whispered a small voice in the back of her mind. Slowly and silently, Raven's right hand worked from her hip to the hilt of her sword, but her fingers reluctantly shrank back as Cinder began to speak.

"You know," the Fall Maiden began with a smile, "I've heard so many stories about you, Raven. They say you're a cunning leader, that you're strong, that you're clever." Vernal had come within arm's reach of the door, her hand outstretched to touch the surface. Cinder glanced over her shoulder at Raven, her eye holding cold contempt. "It's a shame that they're wrong…" The eye narrowed in treachery, a small flare of blue magic appearing at her fingertips and launching itself at Raven's feet.

Realizing the betrayal as it occurred, Raven reached forward to attack, shouting, "_**Vernal!**_" in warning, but it was too late. The magic landed at her feet and expanded in a sheet of ice that quickly worked up Raven's form, encasing her in a frozen prison. At her leader's cry, Vernal yanked back her hand, which had just brushed the door, and whirled as she attempted to draw her weapons, but before she could summon up her Aura, she was slammed back against the door violently.

Raven's crystalline chrysalis finished forming, and Cinder turned back towards Vernal with a wicked smile. Vernal gasped in horrified pain as she looked down to her stomach, where a large, dark piece of flesh had embedded itself into her torso by four sharp, bony nails. Blood was already beginning to flower across her clothes from the wounds, and as she stood trembling, her weapons falling from her hands, she followed what she now recognized to be the Grimm arm impaling her down the limb's long, rubbery length to where it was conjoined with Cinder's left shoulder.

Cinder walked forward, the arm slackening as she approached her victim. The dark flesh responded to her just as a real arm would, fused to her body at the shoulder by Salem's dark magic. She had lost her original arm at the Fall of Beacon along with her eye at the hands of Ruby Rose's Silver Eye power. Upon arrival to the dark lady's fortress, she had been immediately swept away by Salem to have her wounds treated.

Over the six months after Beacon, Salem had grafted the Grimm arm to Cinder's body and put her through intensive therapy in order to adapt to the use and control of the foreign arm. The process had been immensely painful, but Cinder had emerged with a functioning limb once more, and even better, one that served the double purpose of being able to drain Maiden's powers, which she now easily did.

"It's nothing personal, dear," Cinder consoled as she approached Vernal, who remained standing and trembling as she gasped in terror and pain. "You're just not worthy of such power." She came face to face with the young bandit, smiling cruelly at the primal fear she saw in Vernal's wide eyes. "But _I _am…"

Brutally, Cinder elongated her arm again and shoved Vernal to the ground, digging her Grimm fingers deeper into the helpless woman. Vernal screamed in agony as the arm dug deeper into her, sapping her of her life as Cinder loomed over her. "So I will _take_… what is _mine,_" Cinder concluded. Vernal's struggles began to abate, her cries becoming weaker and fewer, until she fell silent.

Cinder's face held sadistic glee as she began her search for the Maiden power lying within the girl. She reached into Vernal's dwindling Aura and sought out those intricate golden lattices interwoven with the girl's soul that gave her the powers. However, abruptly, Cinder's face flattened in shock. "Wha—what is this?" she murmured to herself, her own eyes now wide. "Where is the power?!"

There was a loud crack from behind. Cinder whirled in surprise and locked her eyes on Raven, who stood staring her down from behind her mask and steaming over her entire body. Somehow, Raven had broken the icy prison she had been trapped within, and now, the bandit leader visibly held herself with a new air of threat. "You won't find it," Raven answered. She cast her mask to the side. "Because Vernal isn't the Spring Maiden." When she looked up again, Cinder was startled to see magical crimson fire dancing at the edges of her eyes. "_**I am!**_"


	73. Downfall

**Chapter Thirteen: Downfall**

Back above the vault, Ruby and Yang faced down Emerald and Mercury together. The sisters both fired their weapons and criss-crossed positions, Ruby coming to face down Mercury while Yang took on Emerald. Mercury quickly gained the advantage, using a blast-propelled kick to slam Crescent Rose from Ruby's hands.

"Uh oh," the silver boy said with a smirk. "What're you gonna do now?"

Grinning nastily, Merc threw a left cross, but Ruby, relying on the weeks of training in hand-to-hand combat she'd received from Ozpin, ducked the punch and brought her head up to headbutt him sharply on the nose. With a grunt, Mercury drew back and glared at her, holding his nose, while Ruby picked up her dropped weapon.

The young Huntress stared back at him determinedly. "Whatever it takes to shut you up," she replied.

Nora watched from the sidelines as Ruby reengaged, still standing protective guard over Jaune and Weiss. "You guys doing okay?" she asked her leader.

"I-I think so," Jaune replied, still letting his Aura stream over Weiss's body. "She's coming to. I just wish this would go faster."

Nora grinned at him. "How about you don't complain and just be thankful you unlocked your Semblance when you did."

Jaune looked up at her in surprise. "My Semblance?"

Nora looked back at him, still smiling. "How else do you think you're healing her, dummy?"

Jaune looked down at his friend. As he watched, his hands continued to stream white energy into Weiss. However, now, as the Aura crossed between them, it changed in hue to a light blue. The blue Aura felt foreign to Jaune, not his own. "No," he replied. "I don't think I'm healing her. Our Aura heals our bodies. It feels… it feels more like I'm using my Aura to amplify _hers!_"

Nora frowned at a sudden thought. "Wait, aren't you worried about running out?"

Jaune smiled, staring at Weiss. "Pyrrha once told me I've got a lot of it." His mind travelled back to a spoken invocation in the Emerald Forest and a playful smile beneath dazzling green eyes. "I still believe her."

Weiss's eyes flickered, then sluggishly opened, thick with fatigue. Ice-blue eyes found Jaune's own. "Jaune?" the heiress murmured, slightly disoriented.

Nora smiled at the sight, but sounds of the battle drew her attention back to her guard. As she watched, Ren slipped underneath one of Hazel's attacks to the side, but another fist appeared suddenly and launched him across the room, where he slammed into the doors and fell down to his knees. Angered at the nuisance, Hazel launched a burst of electricity at Ren, catching him off-guard and shocking his body as he gave an agonized cry and fell limp. "Ren!" Nora cried in horror.

"Go! I've got her!" Jaune ordered from the floor. Nora didn't argue, nodding shortly before she broke into a sprint and charged into the fray with her hammer.

Jaune watched her go before Weiss's voice once again caught his attention. "Jaune," she said slowly, clearly still fatigued and weak, "what's happening?"

"You took a heavy hit," the blonde replied. "You need to stay with me while the others fight."

"That's…" Weiss gave a sigh and rolled her eyes slightly. "Annoying."

Despite himself, Jaune gave a small but emotional chuckle. "Good to have you back, Weiss."

Across the room, Qrow was thrown like a ragdoll against the second floor railing and fell violently to the floor. With himself and Ren both temporarily out of commision, there was no one left to help Ozpin, who batted away Lionheart's fiery attacks before Hazel lunged forward and punched him hard in the stomach. The former headmaster fell backwards, bruised, and landed on his back. Hazel towered over him as he raised himself to his elbows with a grimace.

"Hiding behind the face of a child?" Hazel thundered. "A monster like you must be _stopped!_"

Hazel's plans were interrupted as Nora let out a warcry and leaped into the fray, hammer held high. Though taken by surprise, Hazel managed to react and counter, catching her by her hammer and throwing her to the ground. Nora groaned and began to rise, but Hazel knelt over her and grabbed her head in his hand, channelling his Dust into her head.

Nora screamed as the electricity began to bombard her, and Hazel looked at Ozpin murderously. "How many more children must _die _for you?!" he demanded. Nora's screams intensified, but they changed in pitch and gained strength as she activated her Semblance and absorbed the power into her muscles. Her hand shot upward to grasp Hazel's by the wrist, and to her enormous assailant's surprise, the young Valkyrie stood beneath his vise-like hand and flipped him over her body with strength to rival his own.

Hazel slowly rose, dazed and surprised by Nora's power, while she ducked to retrieve her weapon. "His Semblance…" came Ozpin's voice feebly. Nora looked over to him. "He can block out pain. It's how he's able to handle injecting so much Dust into his body." Nora looked back across the room, where Hazel had gotten back to his feet and stared her down with menace.

"I don't need him to hurt," Nora said firmly. With a battle cry, Hazel charged her. "I just need him to _**go**_ _**down!**_" Loosing a cry of her own, Nora waited until the brute was right on top of her and then struck, channeling all of her absorbed power into her hammer's swing. The head connected with Hazel squarely in the chest, rocketing him like a missile across the room, through the wall, and outside into the academy's quad area.

In the quad, the White Fang that had gathered and planted the charges on the CCT Tower had been awaiting Adam's signal to detonate, but as Hazel was launched bodily through the wall with a crash, the gathering all looked on in surprise.

One of the soldiers turned to his leader. "What's going on in there?" the Faunus asked Adam.

Before he could reply, Hazel growled, "None of your concern." The group of Faunus watched in amazement as Hazel brushed off the hit as if it were nothing and stood to his feet before them. His hands once again dipped into the leather satchels at his hips, this time withdrawing a pair of red fire crystals. He plunged them into his arms and once again let out a roar as the energy flooded his body in crackling red lines.

Ruby watched from within the building as Hazel charged himself back up. The large man showed no signs of tiring, unlike her friends, who were all exhausted. She looked around the room to her own teammates in worry. Qrow and Oscar were both on the floor, her uncle struggling to rise. Nora was at Ren's side, helping him back to his feet. Yang was bent over, breathing hard in a brief respite from their fight with Emerald and Mercury. Despite herself, Ruby was beginning to fear that they were fighting a losing battle.

Outside, Adam once again commanded his men's attention. "Stay focused!" he ordered. "Our friends are almost done here." The High Leader fingered the small detonator at his hip with eager anticipation. As soon as Hazel informed him that his faction was done with their goals inside the Academy, the Fang would be given the go-ahead to detonate the CCT Tower. Internally, Adam grinned, already relishing the fear that would inflame Remnant and the respect he would garner for his kind.

"_Adam!_"

The radical was shaken from his thoughts as a voice cried out his name. His soldiers following the voice with him, Adam's eyes shifted up to a nearby rooftop. Upon seeing the white-clad girl who stared down at him with determination and firmness, he started in surprise. "_Blake?_" he said aloud, taken completely off-guard by her sudden appearance.

Hazel squinted up at the young Huntress. "Who is that?" he asked Adam.

Blake shouted down to her one time friend, "Stand down!"

Around Adam, the White Fang soldiers had all raised their weapons and prepared to open fire, until their leader lifted his hands. "Wait!" The soldiers glanced at him, hesitantly lowering their weapons as he gave a dark chuckle. Adam paid his soldiers no mind as he smiled up at Blake with menace. "To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me."

Blake ignored his taunting, offering, "This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop what you're doing and we can end this peacefully!"

Adam's smile vanished. "You're wrong, Blake, and you can't stop us."

"No, I can't!" Adam quirked an eyebrow beneath his mask in confusion as she replied, "Not by myself!"

"That's why she didn't come alone!"

Adam and his men all started and whirled to the side at the voice of Sun Wukong, who had appeared from the small forest surrounding Haven with a massive gathering of other Faunus behind him, all armed with makeshift shields and staffs bearing the White Fang's former logo from Ghira's time as ruler.

"What?!" Adam cried in shocked outrage at the sudden appearance of the militia. His men looked to the other side and levelled their guns at another group emerging from their left. "Who's there?!" the soldiers shouted.

Ghira Belladonna was at the head of a second legion of Menagerie citizens, heading the makeshift army that they had appropriately named the Menagerie Militia. Now, the Chieftain sternly stared down Adam and his now vastly outnumbered forces and replied, "Your brothers and sisters."

Adam stared back at Ghira, teeth clenched, but his attention returned to his men as they began to falter, a few of them finding familiar faces of friends and family in the Faunus crowd. "Make no mistake, brothers!" the radical urged his troops. "These are our _enemies! _And we will not let them ruin-"

Adam was cut off as a loud chirping sound split the air and aerial spotlights began to illuminate the quad. Furious and surprised once again, Adam looked up in horror to see several Mistral Police airships surveying the situation with weapons ready.

Above in the head airship, Kali Belladonna watched as the collection of people below finally took notice of the police's arrival. Beside her, a woman police captain was instructing via P.A. system, "Adam Taurus! This is the Mistral Police Force! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully!"

The arrival of the police did not go unnoticed by the combatants still within the academy, who had remained ignorant of the drama unfolding outside until the searchlights had shone across the windows and the chirping of the airships became audible. Everyone stopped fighting in surprise at the unexpected development; Emerald looked up from her fight with Ruby and grimaced in shock; Weiss, who was still recovering under Jaune's care, leaned up as she regained her strength and asked, "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure," Jaune replied, looking up at the lights through the windows, before he met her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Weiss sat up fully, Aura still shimmering across her body. "Better." She brought up her palm and watched with satisfaction as a small Summoning glyph appeared on her hand, glowing brightly with new potency thanks to the support of Jaune's Semblance. "_Much _better." She smiled at him. "Keep it up."

Outside, Adam was in a state of shock at how quickly his plans had been uprooted. Blake jumped down from her rooftop and stared him down from across the courtyard. "How?! How did you do this?!" he shouted at her, incensed.

Blake's tone remained even and cool. "Adam, it's over."

The radical looked around at the Menagerie Militia, which would easily overpower his men and the the two other small detachments he had brought from the White Fang headquarters. Both groups were also pinned under spotlights a short distance away. There was no way out, none that he could see. Except one.

Adam snatched the small detonator from his hip. He had always imagined this moment, imagined himself as a martyr for this cause, to go down in a blaze of glory that would inspire the rest of his race to action against the humans. He felt no fear, only a sense of resigned calm. "Then it's over for all of us," he replied.

Around him, his soldiers cried out in fear and flinched as they saw the detonator, but Blake's expression didn't flicker as Adam pressed the button… and nothing happened. "Huh?" Adam pressed the button again and again, but there was nothing, no explosion.

One of his men glared at him. "What are you doing? Trying to get us all killed?!" he demanded.

The angry Faunus found himself yanked forward in an instant, held tightly by the collar in the grip of an enraged beast with slits for eyes. "I am making humanity _pay _for _**what they've done!**_" Adam roared. Disgusted at the lack of devotion, he shoved the man back and tossed the useless detonator to the side, turning his malicious eyes on Blake.

"We sent someone over to confirm your explosives," the Huntress informed him. "And once we did, she disarmed them."

Adam looked up as a black shape suddenly rounded the CCT Tower, a hand of torn wires in its hand. Abruptly, the shape dropped its camouflage and adopted its normal pigment, revealing Ilia Amitola, maskless.

Seething freshly at this new betrayal, Adam turned to Hazel, who had watched the entire encounter in silence. "What do we do?!" the High Leader demanded.

Hazel's expression was indifferent as he cracked his knuckles. "This… is _your _business," he replied, "not mine. _Fix it._"

Adam glared at the large man before Blake spoke again.

"I told you, Adam. It's over." Blake looked him right in the eye, her own reflecting his furious visage. Adam heard her words without understanding them. Currently, he was watching her shrink into the distance on the back of a train as she abandoned the cause forever; he watched her with her wounded friend over her arm, fleeing him in terror. And now, she stood before him, with the _audacity _to order him to yield.

Adam gave an animalistic howl as he dashed forward, his hand already on Wilt's hilt as he prepared to draw it from Blush. If he could just kill her, if he could end the source of his torment, he could at least die satisfied. Time seemed to slow as he whipped his blade out and sliced her in two, watching as the two halves separated… only to dissolve into shadow. Too late, he looked to the side, saw as she lifted both arms over her head and brought them down hard on his own.

The blow, combined with his momentum, sent him careening forward onto his knees. Wilt fell from his hand as he shook his head, the spotlight refocusing on him alone. With murder in his voice, Adam turned to his men and shouted, "_**KILL THEM!**_"

With that, the Battle of Haven truly began, the White Fang forces instantly opening fire or engaging with their swords and spears. The Menagerie Militia rushed forward as well, fighting with their blunt weapons, while the more skilled fighters like Sun and Ilia whipped out their own special weapons and lent the citizens assistance. The sounds of battle filled the quad as the outnumbered terrorists desperately fought against the army of Menagerie Faunus.

From the side, Hazel had been observing the entire scene in silence, left alone by the people because he had not allied with Adam's forces, but with abrupt suddenness, the large man was pulled back into his own battle. Hazel grunted in pain as a lance of fire suddenly shot through his body. Panting from the wound, he looked down to see a sharp, glowing stinger protruding through his torso. With an agonizing jerk, the stinger yanked him back off of his feet into the academy hall through the large hole that he had crashed through earlier.

Hazel landed on his back, breathing hard. He wasn't using his Semblance in order to not deplete his Aura so that his wound could be healed, and the pain was excruciating. Weakly, he sat up and turned to see Weiss, fully recovered and standing tall in the midst of a Summoning storm. Behind her head, the glowing white form of a Queen Lancer buzzed in the air, its stinger retracting into its abdomen at its master's command.

Weiss stared Hazel down, Myrtenaster ready to fight, but a movement by the doors caught her eye. Ruby and Yang both heard her gasp, and when they followed her gaze, they too felt their breath hitch. Standing in the door, seeing them all for the first time since the Fall of Beacon, was Blake, who stared at them as if they were apparitions that might disappear at any moment.

Voice trembling, as if she couldn't believe it were true, Blake met her partner's lilac eyes. "Yang?"

Yang stared back at her friend, unable to conjure up any words, simply gazing back at Blake open-mouthed until Ruby shook them all from the momentary pause.

With the arrival of the Faunus outside and Blake at the door, the fighting in the hall had once again ceased, and Ruby was the first one to realize the opening. "Yang, go!" she cried, pointing to the vault entrance. Yang shook her head and turned, sprinting towards the vault.

Emerald and Mercury spurred to action the moment Yang moved. Emerald leaped forward and made a swipe at her, screaming "No!" as she fell short. Mercury lunged quickly and managed to get a hand on the brawler's prosthetic arm, and Yang's eyes briefly flashed red in anger at the contact, but she kept herself under control. With a click, Yang detached her arm, leaving it behind in Mercury's grasp, and dove into the vault. Emerald and Mercury were at her heels to pursue her down, but a wall of ice sprung up before them that blocked their path.

The teens turned to see Weiss coolly staring them down, assuming a combat stance with the giant Queen Lancer buzzing over her shoulder. From the side, Jaune watched and grinned. Ruby, however, was still occupied with the new arrival. Hearing the sounds of battle outside, Ruby gave Blake a nod, which the Faunus girl returned, both acknowledging that they were needed for their respective fights and that they would be able to truly meet after everything was over. With that simple gesture, both girls turned and leaped back into the fray as the Battle of Haven reached its climax.

* * *

Meanwhile, beneath the academy, perhaps the most fateful battle of the night was on the verge of erupting. Down in the vault, Cinder stared at the now-inert form of Vernal, lying on the ground beside the door to the Relic. "Vernal was a decoy the whole time," she mused, piecing together Raven's deception. Though she hated to admit it, it had been quite a respectable feat. However, Cinder showed no admiration as she turned to Raven and glared. "The last Spring Maiden must've trusted you a great deal before she died. I bet that was a _mistake_."

Raven growled in anger, Maiden fire dancing around her eyes, and shot her sword out of her hilt. With deadly speed, the Spring Maiden flew forward and caught her sword as she raced towards Cinder. The other woman grinned and launched herself into the air with a burst of fire, conjuring up a sword with her elemental powers as she waited for the bandit leader to strike.

Raven flew into Cinder like a rocket, slamming both of them into the large rock face into which the door was built with such force that the rock shattered beneath them. Raven grimaced as Cinder leaned against her with an insane smile, their blades spitting sparks. Cinder shot them both back to the ground with another flaming boost at her feet, slamming Raven into the ground. Raven bounced twice and flipped on her hand to come to her feet before once again dashing in.

Raven and Cinder's swords clashed twice in quick succession; Cinder slashed for Raven's chest, and the Spring Maiden flipped backwards, summoning up a column of ice at her feet. Raven pushed off of the frozen stalagmite and slashed across Cinder, who blocked twice as Raven raced past her again. They clashed once more in a brief exchange of blows before Cinder jumped back in a dodge and Raven pursued. The air filled with the sound of blade on blade as the two Maidens fought until both blades shattered simultaneously from the brutality of the fight.

However, Cinder's blade shattered into large, sharp fragments, one of which buried itself in the flesh of her Grimm arm and protruded out the other side. Cinder cried out in pain, holding the smoking wound, while Raven looked on in disdain and selected a new blade from her sheath.

"Aura can't protect your arm; it's Grimm." Cinder's eyes narrowed as she tore the piece of hardened glass from her arm. Raven glared back at her. "You turned yourself into a monster just for power," she condemned.

Cinder spawned a new lance in her right, human hand, glowering at Raven. "Look who's talking." With a growl, Cinder struck forward, and Raven drew her sword, now with a yellow blade, to block. The two women zipped around the room, Cinder following Raven wherever she fled and trading blows all the while, until both of their weapons shattered again in a burst of Maiden power that sent them both sliding backwards. Cinder landed on a stone, giving her the high ground, while Raven surveyed her from across the platform with narrowed eyes.

Cinder held up her Grimm hand and summoned up a new sword, then a second in the other hand, before propelling herself forward with a flaming launch towards Raven. The other woman drew her blade, red once more, and the Maidens clashed again. Their blades would break every two or three strikes, but Cinder would just summon more while Raven drew another from her hilt, slicing with blue, yellow, and green slashes until they took their battle to the air. Raven and Cinder hovered before each other, both still hacking away until they lost their grips on their weapons.

As they spun, each grabbed the first sword they could, Raven snatching Cinder's earth blade while the Fall Maiden stole her own black sword. Storms of ice and fire gathered around the two combatants as they battled, trading weapons again before Cinder retreated. Arching her back, Cinder channelled her powers into a long, fiery sword that was more than three times the length of her own body and leveled it in challenge at Raven. In response, Raven formed her own sword of ice and gripped it two-handedly as she flew forward.

The two massive elemental blades locked in a violent explosion of power that reverberated around the cavern. The leaves on the tree that wound around the door to the Relic shook as if blown by hurricane winds. Above ground, the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath the feet of those fighting within Haven from the sheer power that had been unleashed. The ceiling of the cavern shook from the power, the stalactites shifting unsteadily. Cinder and Ravne both looked up, still locked in their showdown, and saw a large stalactite hurtling down towards them. At the absolute last moment, the women parted and slid back across the floor as the giant stone shattered where they had been moments before. Raven and Cinder's blades both broke into fractals of fire and ice as both avoided the deadly rock.

Raven was on her feet in an instant, hand on her sword as she squinted into the cloud of rock dust that had been thrown up and tried to catch a glimpse of her enemy. However, with no warning, the enemy came to her as Cinder's long, Grimm arm shot out from the dust as it cleared and caught and unsuspecting Raven by the throat with a surprised cry, slamming her back against the gate of the elevator, which bent from the impact.

Cinder summoned up a new sword in her other arm while she began to drain the Maiden powers with her Grimm limb. Raven's eyes rolled back in her head momentarily as she felt a wave of weakness pass through her body, the power transfer already beginning to take its toll as red energy travelled up Cinder's arm into her body. However, Raven didn't panic and took stock of her surroundings. With her not-yet-depleted power, Raven summoned up a charge of ice in her palm and aimed at Cinder with a grin. Cinder moved her sword to block, but stared at Raven in confusion as she found her feet the target of the attack, freezing her in place.

However, upon following Raven's gaze, Cinder realized the Spring Maiden's plan, watching with wide eyes as an enormous piece of rock displaced by their earlier clash bore down upon her from the ceiling. The rock crashed down on the woman even as Cinder brought up an arm to fruitlessly protect herself; Raven, freed from the grip of the Grimm arm, felt her strength and powers fully return as the connection was broken before the transfer could truly begin. With a mighty leap, Raven flew high into the air and onto one of the falling stalactites, surveying the platform for a sign that Cinder was still on her feet.

She didn't have to wait long. From the clearing rock dust, Cinder emerged with vengeful eyes, flying upwards with jets of flame from each palm. Raven braced herself for the battle as Cinder flipped in the air with a fierce cry and spawned a pair of swords in her hands, bringing them down hard on Raven's red blade. Raven blocked as Cinder leaped over her, sliding across the surface of the falling rock. Both of them leaped to the side and clashed in the air, Raven taking refuge on a second stone falling beside the first. Cinder blasted forwards and shattered the stone, but Raven had already evaded and tried to come in with a counterattack. Cinder blocked as they traded places again, Raven leaping back and forth between the fragments of broken rock before she rejoined Cinder on the original stalactite.

As Raven chased Cinder across the rock, another stone crashed into theirs and jostled it. Cinder leaped onto this new colossal stone and launched a fireball at Raven, but the bandit Maiden easily dodged and kicked Cinder away as a boulder fell between them. Cinder spawned a fresh set of swords into her hands while Raven cut a line of fire through the boulder. The Spring Maiden dashed forward, shattering one of Cinder's new blades with her own blue blade that left a line of ice behind her strike on the ground. Briefly, blades sliced through the air with whirlwinds of color and strikes of sparks, before Cinder sprang backwards with a fiery boost and hopped along the fragments of rock.

Raven pursued her, reaching another falling rock seconds before Cinder as the bandit now became the one chased. However, Raven ended the chase rather quickly, flinging her sword forward to catch into the ground. Utilizing her powers, Raven quickly shot forward and grabbed her handle, rotating around and delivering a firm, two-footed kick to a surprised Cinder's stomach. The kick sent Cinder bouncing back against the rock face before she landed on top of a protrusion, but before the fight could go any further, the stalactite finally crashed into the ground. Raven and Cinder both were flung to the ground by the impact, the women landing on their hands and knees as their Aura shimmered and broke from the intense battle.

Cinder panted heavily as she looked up at Raven, who rose to her feet as the reddish-orange glow of her Aura disappeared. The bandit leader sized up Cinder, her eyes still blazing crimson fire. "Had enough yet?"

Cinder was still breathing hard as she spat, "Shut up!"

Raven grinned. "If you were stronger or more clever, then maybe," the grin turned to a scowl, "you'd remember to watch your back!"

Cinder glared back at Raven, slightly confused by her words, until she gasped and turned around. Behind her, on the ground, the vault's third occupant, whom Cinder had written off as dead, had stirred. With a rasping groan and a trembling hand, Vernal used her dying strength to grasp one of her weapons and squeeze off a shot at Cinder.

The Fall Maiden reacted instantly, swiping with fire to intercept the shot before it could connect, but in the brief moment of distraction, Raven struck. Flying forward in the blink of an eye, Raven summoned up crackling blue lightning in one hand, even as Cinder turned with a surprised gasp, and slammed her hand into the Fall Maiden's face. The power cracked around the cavern and rocketed Cinder backwards off of the edge of the platform.

Raven walked to the edge of the platform and watched as Cinder fell, the other woman's mask having cracked under the lightning's assault and revealing the twisted, gnarled skin and ruined eye that the Silver Eye power had wrought upon the Maiden at Beacon. Eyes filled with contempt, Raven lifted her hand and summoned up a burst of blue energy.

Cinder's Maiden power flickered away, and her last expression was one of shock and disbelief at her defeat before Raven released the power over her body. A sheet of ice crawled up Cinder's form, freezing her solid as she fell down into the oblivion and disappeared into the darkness of the chasm below.

Raven watched until Cinder sank out of view, then sighed, her Maiden powers deactivating. Voice thick with emotion, she whispered, "Thank you, Vernal." She turned away from the edge, leaving Cinder to her fate, and sadly approached the body of her friend. Vernal's eyes sightlessly stared into nothing, the wounds having taken their toll in full. Her dying act had been to help her leader. Sadly, Raven knelt down beside the body and closed her lieutenant's eyes.

With a shuddering breath, Raven cleared her mind and stepped over Vernal's body. There was still a task to attend to. The Spring Maiden walked forward through a breeze of orange petals, still falling from the tree, and approached the door. The Relic door was set in a broad stone frame, the surface seeming to be four golden fans of thin metal with darker patterns of vines and leaves. Hesitantly, Raven extended her hand, eyes once more glowing with Maiden fire, and pressed it against the door.

There was no reaction at first, but gradually, the vine patterns began to illuminate in the same cyan light of the circles on the floor. The light travelled up the face of the door until all of the vines glowed a bright blue. Raven withdrew her hand and peered closely at the door, seeking some new action, before the vines suddenly glowed brighter. Startled, the bandit leader sprang back, a hand going cautiously to her sword.

Slowly, the golden fans began to fold upward, segment by segment, until they disappeared into the frame. Still being careful, Raven looked past the door in wonder at the sight before her. Ozpin had informed their team of the Relics during their time at Beacon, but he had never gone into detail as to what they looked like or what was behind the vault doors at each school. Before her stretched out a shimmery, surreal desert, rolling hills of sand that seemed to fade away into the distance. A small path of stone steps led to a simple pedestal, atop which rested what appeared to be a golden lantern that gleamed with the same cyan light of the vault itself. The Relic of Knowledge.

With a steadying exhale, Raven began to slowly step forward towards the Relic's realm, but before she could cross the threshold, gunshots behind her alerted her that she was not alone. Surprised, she quickly whirled around, but her eyes narrowed as they settled upon the new arrival.

The daughter stood and stared at her mother. The mother met her daughter's gaze. No words were said. None were needed.

**Author's Note: Well, that was a whole plot twist and a half, now wasn't it? IMO, one of the best, if not the best, plot twists of the Volume, if not the series. - Jek**


	74. Haven's Fate

**Chapter Fourteen: Haven's Fate**

In Haven Academy's quad, the battle between the White Fang and the Menagerie Militia aided by Mistral's police had turned into a mop up operation. Though the terrorists had given a valiant effort, they had never had a chance. Adam, under orders from Hazel, had brought only a small number of men with him. According to Hazel, the school would be abandoned and unprotected, unlike Beacon, meaning the amount of firepower used at the first fall would not be necessary here. Due to this, Adam had only brought a few squads of soldiers under the pretense of sneaking in and out quickly after setting the charges and blowing the building. As such, the Menagerie Faunus and police were quickly wrapping up the battle, aided by Ilia and Sun as they rounded up the remaining White Fang terrorists.

The High Leader himself climbed to his feet and murderously eyed the foiler of his plan. Teeth clenched in hatred, Adam spat at Blake, "I'm going to make you regret _ever_ coming back."

Blake didn't cower. "More police are on their way, Adam. Huntsmen, too."

He chuckled. "Still too afraid to face me on your own."

Blake's face hardened. "I'm here for Haven. _Not you._"

Adam glared at her, baring his teeth with a threatening grunt as he drew Wilt from Blush, aiming the shotgun at her. Blake tensed and drew her katana, but didn't engage. Adam smirked. "You are still afraid, and you should be. I've made powerful friends while you've been away."

"Oh yeah?" Adam looked to the side and watched Sun walk up on his left, bo staff in hand. "Where?"

Slowly, Adam lifted his other hand to point Wilt at Sun. "Tell me," he asked, "does Blake make all of her classmates fight for her?"

Sun grinned and spun his staff slightly. "Nah, it's a volunteer gig. I'm just sayin', for someone who claims to have such great friends, there doesn't seem to be a lot of people here willing to fight for you."

Adam looked around, watched as what was left of his men surrendered and laid down their weapons, and realized the unfortunate truth in Sun's words. One of the police spotlights switched on to focus on him, the last White Fang radical left standing.

"You can try and make me regret coming here, Adam," Blake said, "but honestly… I've got more important things to deal with."

Adam glared at her and gave an enraged growl as he slashed at Sun. The monkey-tailed Faunus broke his staff down into its nunchuck mode and spun his weapons rapidly, firing shots and forcing Adam back to block. Blake came in from the side and engaged Adam with a few strikes from Gambol Shroud, then Sun joined her with the staff once more and landed a thrust on Adam that spun him away. Rather than stand and fight, Adam retreated into the brush, the spotlight stopping as he ran out of sight. Sun moved to give chase until Blake called him off. "Sun, wait!"

"But he's getting away!" Sun said. "We can take him!"

Blake approached him, sheathing her katana. "No. We can't." She knew her partner's style; Adam was never one to flee without a purpose. "He wants to lure us away so he can pick us off. We need to protect the school and the people here. Besides…" Her ears flicked down on her head. "Now _he _can see what it feels like to run away." She smiled at Sun. "Thank you."

He grinned back. "Eh, we all need help sometimes." Both of them turned at the sound of fighting still going on and gazed into Haven Academy through the hole in the wall, where the others could be seen still fighting. "I think there's a few people who could use yours." He moved to go finish helping the militia and the police, but Blake stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful," she ordered.

He smirked at her. "No promises." Blake shook her head and grinned as he ran off, then broke into a run of her own as she hurried towards Haven.

In the lecture hall, the battle had resumed after Yang had disappeared into the vault. Hazel's Aura had healed him with remarkable speed from Weiss's Lancer attack, and now the burly man fired balls of flame from his fists at the large Summoned insect, even as Weiss and Ruby both peppered him with fire from glyphs and scythe. Behind him, Mercury and Emerald were huddled together and taking potshots at Nora, Ren, and Jaune across the hall. Finally, Qrow was in bird form flitting about as Leo fired upon Ozpin from the top of the stairs.

Jaune moved closer to Ren and Nora, catching bullets on his shield. "You guys okay?" he asked them.

Ren coughed, and Nora gave a weary groan. "Surviving," the boy replied.

Nora looked at Hazel in disbelief. "I don't know how that big guy's still standing. He recharges his Aura faster than I've ever seen!"

Across the hall, Qrow morphed back into a human and commented to Ozpin, "He's sheer willpower!" Ozpin took cover behind one of the nearby columns as a fireball from the beast of a man exploded at his feet.

"We just need to get him to his limit!" the former headmaster said.

While Hazel roared, the Queen Lancer spat its thorns at Lionheart on the upper level. The traitorous professor ducked behind his casting disk and unleashed a wave of fire that drove the creature back with an unpleasant screech. Before it could recover, Hazel launched a missile of fire and electricity at the creature that caught it in the thorax and shattered the Summon, to Weiss's dismay.

However, no sooner had the fragments of white energy dissipated than Blake Belladonna leaping through the space the Lancer had occupied with a cry and landing a quick kick to Hazel's head before coming to a stop next to Ruby and Weiss. Noticing them both gawking at her, the Faunus asked, "Are you hurt?"

"N-No!" Weiss stammered, surprised by Blake's boldness. "I just remember you being more of the quiet one."

Blake stared at the enemy as Hazel, Mercury, and Emerald approached, Lionheart descending the steps to their side. "Not today," she said, whipping her pistol into katana form.

"Alright," Weiss replied, similarly assuming a battle stance, "well, what's the plan, Ruby?"

The reaper glanced to the side and brought her sniper rifle up to bear, squeezing off a shot that caught Lionheart beneath his arm right as he was taking aim with his weapon. The shot cracked the headmaster's Aura with a visible shimmer, and the man whimpered in fear and fled through a set of nearby doors as Ruby smirked. Mercury watched the man go and rolled his eyes. "You've gotta be kidding me." Hazel merely let out a new roar of challenge.

"Checkmate!" Ruby cried. Weiss and Blake crisscrossed in front of her before she rushed in after them, scythe slung behind her shoulders.

* * *

"I warned you, Yang," said Raven as the tree's orange petals fluttered down around them. "I gave you every opportunity to walk away from Qrow and Oz." Behind her, light from the open door streamed into the vault. "So you can believe me when I say this wasn't personal."

Yang didn't acknowledge the words. "You opened the vault," she said, her eyes hard.

"Thanks to the chaos you and your friends caused upstairs," Raven affirmed. She walked to the side as she spoke, facing away from Yang. "I knew you could handle it. You're my daughter after all."

"Qrow and Oz told me how the Maiden powers are transferred." Raven stopped walking. "The girl you found… she would've had to have trusted you if you were in her final thoughts-cared about you a lot." Yang's words were thick with implication.

"I'm sure they told you _plenty,_" Raven said in disdain, "and you just sat and obeyed."

"No," Yang replied. "I'm starting to ask questions like you said. So tell me… what happened to the last Spring Maiden?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?"

Raven turned and met her daughter's eyes, her voice cold and indifferent. "What does it matter to you."

Yang's eyes widened, the words confirming her suspicions. "I can already see the answer," she murmured, a shudder running up her spine, "it's all over your face. How _could _you?!"

Raven's arms crossed as she avoided Yang's eyes. "She was scared when we found her! Weak. No matter how much training I put her thought, she never learned! She wasn't cut out for this world! And with those powers, she would've been hunted her entire life! What I did-"

"'Wasn't personal,'" Yang quoted bitterly.

"It was _mercy!_" Raven rebutted angrily, eyes flaring as she stepped forward.

"Which is it, Mom?" Yang asked, beginning to circle Raven. "Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me walk into that trap because you knew I could handle it, or because it meant you could get what you wanted?!"

"It's not that simple!" Raven argued. "You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, the choices I've had to make!"

Yang might have chuckled at the absurdity had she not been so indignant. "You're right, I don't know you! I only know the Raven Dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe!" Accusingly, Yang asked, "Did you kill her too?"

Raven's eyes widened and she looked away. When she looked back, her face was dominated by fury and Maiden fire. "I've stared death in the face over and over again, and every time I've _spat _in that face and survived, because I'm strong enough to do what others _won't!_"

"_Oh, shut up!_" Raven's fury subsided into shock as Yang continued to circle her, shouting accusations. "You don't know the first _thing _about strength! You turn your back on people, you run away when things get to hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself!" Yang balled her good hand into a fist, which trembled slightly. "You might be powerful," she said, pointing at her mother, "but that doesn't make you strong."

Raven stared at her in disbelief, then in rage. "_Who do you think you __**are, **__lecturing me?! _Standing there _shaking _like a scared little girl!"

"Yeah," Yang replied, "I'm scared. But I'm still standing here!" Her face hardened with the words. She began to walk towards her mother as she went on, "I'm not like you, I _won't _run… which is why you're going to give me the Relic."

Raven looked at her daughter haughtily. "And why would I-"

"_**Because you're afraid of Salem!**_" Yang shouted. Quieter, she went on, "And if you thought having Maiden powers put a target on your back, imagine what she'll do when she finds out you have a Relic." Raven turned away again, teeth clenched in anger as well as thought. "She'll come after you with everything she has. Or… she can come after me." The Spring Maiden's eyes went wide, and she turned back to her daughter. Yang met her gaze evenly. "And I'll be standing there, waiting for her."

There was a long moment of silence, then, the Maiden fire abated from Raven's eyes. Yang stepped closer to her mother. Raven looked into her daughter's face, almost pleadingly. "You _don't _want to do this, Yang," she cautioned in a whisper.

"Nope." Yang shook her head "But I'm gonna do it anyway." She stepped forward, shouldering her mother out of the way, and walked towards the door. Raven turned and watched her daughter take on the responsibility. A small tear of shame fell to the floor. "I…" Raven held her arm, eyes filling with tears. Voice shuddering, she apologized, "I'm sorry."

Yang's own eyes were blurred by liquid, her back to Raven. "Yeah… me too."

Behind her, there was the sound of fluttering wings and a portal opening. When Yang turned around again, Raven was gone, the only testament of her presence being a single black feather that drifted to the ground behind her exit.

Yang stared at the spot her mother had occupied moments before for a long moment, but there was nothing else to do. The young brawler turned away and, with a moment of hesitation, walked forward into the Relic's chamber.

The air shimmered within the realm with otherworldly foreignness; Yang's entire field of vision felt like a mirage. Before her, resting atop a stone pedestal, was the Relic of Knowledge, a small, ornate golden lamp that glowed from within with the same cyan light of the vault. The glowing interior appeared like some type of orb of energy as Yang approached, something immaterial contained within the physical structure of the lamp. Yang looked at it for a moment, then picked it up by a small handle on the top.

It seemed so ludicrous, now that she held it in the palm of her hand, that this was the thing that so many had fought and died for, and in the back of her mind, Yang knew she should be relieved, or even happy, that the Relic was now in safe hands. However, to the young Huntress, the victory rang hollow. She had lost far more than she had gained. She had been abandoned again.

Gentle tears working from lilac eyes, Yang fell to her knees and wept.

* * *

Panting, Leonardo Lionheart turned the last corner and burst into his office, hurrying to his desk and beginning to rifle through his drawers in search of a secret supply of Lien he'd been storing up. Everything had gone wrong with the plan; with Haven saved, Leo would be regarded as a traitor and be arrested, perhaps even tried for treason. The only escape would be to go into hiding, flee for his life until the heat died down.

The headmaster continued to frantically search his desk for the money, but a guttural clicking sound that reached his ears from the open doors of the hallway alerted him that he was not alone. When Leo looked up, he felt terrified sweat break out across his brow at the sight of the Seer Grimm hovering before him, its small red tentacles gently floating beneath it.

Her face was not visible, but her words made it clear that she could see him. "And where might you be going?" Salem asked darkly.

"Uh, your Grace!" Leo stuttered with a nervous chuckle as he straightened up. "I was just looking for something."

"Leonardo," the headmaster blanched at her tone, "do you have something you wish to tell me?"

Leo wrung his hands for a moment before the truth burst out. "It was Cinder! She altered the plan! Huntsmen showed up here, Qrow, several students, one with the Silver Eyes! The White Fang attack, it was stopped!" He cowered away with his next words, "I-I don't know that they'll be able to recover the Relic."

There was no verbal answer from Salem. The Grimm remained where it hovered, clicking and hissing slightly. Leo found the silence petrifying. Desperately hoping for mercy, he began to round his desk and drew near to the repulsive creature, hands clasped in a begging gesture. "Your Grace, I can still be of assistance! If I leave now, I-I can avoid the authorities and come find you, I'll do whatever it takes!" Silence. Deafening. "Your Grace?"

Deciding finally that the silence wasn't going to help him, Leo made a rash decision, swinging his arm forward to take aim with his weapon. However, Salem had apparently anticipated the move as one of the Grimm's tentacles merely flicked up from the floor and slapped his arm away, detaching his weapon and sending it skittering across the floor.

Panicked at his failed betrayal, Lionheart dashed to the side, but the tentacle whipped back around and caught him by the ankle. Leo tripped to the floor, trying to drag himself away even as he still begged, nearly sobbing, "Please, ma'am, I'll do anything! I can still be useful!" His words went unheeded as the other tentacles shot forward and wrapped around his body, beginning to drag him towards the Grimm. The headmaster screamed in terror, "Please! _Please!_" But there was no mercy.

If a passerby had happened to walk past the open doors of the office at the moment, they would have heard a wet _thwack _from within, and a few moments later, a small, liquid voice rasp, "_Please…_" before a second, firmer _splutch _cut the voice off for good. However, as no one was in the hallway, the sounds were lost to the world, their victim dying in horrified solitude.

In her fortress, Salem stared at her reflection in the now opaque surface of her own Seer. Leonardo had been a faithful servant, but it had always been out of fear. From the moment she had first wrapped him around her finger, Salem had known that this moment would eventually come, but her distaste at the man's pathetic display was still severe.

Disgustedly, Salem eulogized, "Coward."

* * *

In the main hall, the fighting had all but ceased. Even with the mighty fury of Hazel, Lionheart's untimely exit had left what remained of Cinder's faction outmanned. Emerald and Hazel both stood defiantly, while an exhausted Mercury knelt on the ground as he tried to catch his breath.

He wasn't the only one. On the side of the heroes, Qrow was still breathing hard and was leaning on his sword for support, while Ozpin stood guard over him. The rest of the students had gathered in a circle around the villains with Ruby as the leader.

"That's enough!" Ruby ordered, wielding her rifle. "Just give up!"

Though exhausted, Mercury was having none of it, slamming a fist into the ground with a cry of frustration. Emerald shared his sentiments. "It's not over!" the green-haired girl shot back. "Cinder will come back, she'll have the Relic, and she'll stop _all _of you!" Firmly, she finished, "She won't let us down."

However, even as she said the words, all eyes turned to the elevator as it announced its return. Standing in the center as it rose to the second floor was Yang Xiao Long, with the Relic of Knowledge in hand. At the sight of their friend, all of the students broke out into smiles of joy. Ruby whispered her sister's name under her breath in relief. Yang looked down and met Blake's eyes. The Faunus Huntress glanced away for a moment but eventually returned her friend's gaze.

On the other side, Hazel scowled at the sight of the blonde Huntress emerging from the vault, realizing that Cinder had somehow failed and knowing that Salem would be displeased. Emerald realized the same thing, her determined mask cracking into heartbroken shock as tears began to stream from her crimson eyes. A wave of weakness passed through the young girl's body as the full impact of losing her mentor and surrogate mother swept over her. Overcome, Emerald fell to her hands and knees, sobbing with deep breaths as she shook her head back and forth in denial.

At her side, Mercury had gotten to his feet, and he and Hazel had both begun to cautiously back away from what they now knew was a lost battle. "Emerald, get up, we need to go," Mercury murmured to her. Emerald looked around like a lost child, not knowing who had spoken or what had been said. "Emerald!" Mercury whispered more urgently, but his companion was beyond words. Completely overwhelmed by grief, Emerald acted on instinct. Hands on the sides of her head, her weeping eyes shot wide as she screamed.

The room's lighting flickered. Instantly on alert, the gathering of Huntsmen and Huntresses looked around for danger. Red lights flicked out out of the ground, floating around the room with an ethereal and hellish glow. In the center of the gathering, a large plume of black smoke swirled up from the ground, forming itself into a black robe with a red emblazoned eye. The robe turned, revealing its wearer, a massive, nightmarish being with white skin and hair, purple veins along its distorted arms and face, and soulless red eyes against black scleroses. The woman, if it could be called that, towered over the students, and with a deafening, demonic screech, it lunged forward for them all before the room was plunged into darkness.

Ruby, shaking and pale with terror, hesitantly stopped cowering and looked to where the apparition had stood. Around the room, her friends all had their weapons drawn and aimed at the now vacant space the nightmare had occupied. Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel were nowhere to be seen.

Everyone looked shaken to the core. Blake was the first one to speak, wielding her flat blade with her ears laid flat on her head. Her voice still trembled as she haltingly voiced, "Wha… what _was _that?"

Ozpin provided the answer, leaning on his cane. "An illusion. But an accurate one." He looked up and met the teens' eyes with grave severity. "_That… _was Salem."

* * *

On the outskirts of Haven, Hazel was running with an unconscious Emerald slung over his shoulder, the girl's overexertion from the massive use of her Semblance having rendered her unconscious. At his heels was Mercury, sprinting behind him as they fled Haven together. Above them, watching from the top of a tree, stood Adam. The now solitary radical watched them as they ran past, then turned away and fled himself.

* * *

Though still shaken by Emerald's illusion, the combatants inside Haven Academy were all glad to finally be done with the fighting of the evening. Blake was breathing her own sigh of relief before she turned at the sound of running footsteps approaching. She turned and watched as her parents entered the room and hurried to her side with Sun in tow. Together, the Belladonnas shared a hug; grinning, Sun watched them.

As they pulled away from the hug, Kali informed Blake, "The police rounded up the remaining White Fang members. Haven is safe."

"Unfortunately," Ghira continued, "it appears that Adam escaped."

For a moment, the four looked down at the news, but Ilia stepped into the room around the broken door and lifted their spirits. "It's okay. HE was the only one to escape tonight. Those in the White Fang that followed him won't support a leader that abandons his people. He _won't _have their help after this." She stopped beside them. "He'll have no one at all. And the White Fang will be left divided."

"We've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long," Ghira replied. "Perhaps it's time for a new brotherhood. A new family for Faunus truly working towards a better world."

Kali smiled. "And they'll need a new leader." Ghira sighed wearily even as he nodded assent.

Sun, who had been listening the entire time, finally noticed the others in the hall, who were gathered near the statue elevator. With a chuckle, he waved at them and scampered around Ghira, flicking his tail out to grab Blake by the waist. With a small tug, he pulled her out from beneath Ghira's arm and turned her towards her friends as she gave a small gasp of surprise at the sudden movement. Despite a moment of hesitation, Blake gave in to Sun's nonverbal prompting and began to walk towards the others.

As Blake began to approach, Yang was descending the staircase, still holding the Relic in her one good hand as she walked up to her uncle.

"What happened?" Qrow asked as he took the lantern from her.

"I don't know exactly," Yang replied. "When I got down there, Cinder was gone, and Vernal was dead."

"And Raven?"

Yang thought for a moment, then decided to keep her encounter with her mother to herself for the moment. "Gone."

Qrow looked at her for a moment. He wasn't stupid; he could tell she was holding something back. However, right now was certainly not the moment to confront her about it. With a comforting smile and a hand on her shoulder, he replied to his niece, "Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker."

Suddenly, both of their attention was grabbed by a weak moan from the side as Ruby fell forward and collapsed onto her knees. Though they had been victorious, the Battle of Haven had been grueling and hard won, and it had taken its toll on the exhausted young girl.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked with concern, immediately at her friend's side.

Ruby chuckled, "I feel like I should be asking you guys." She looked up as Blake reached them and stopped before them at the same time Yang did, the latter going to her knees at her sister's side. "So, Blake, what're you doing here?"

Blake looked at her teammates, now fully hit by the fact that they were all together again after everything that had happened, everything they'd been through. Awkwardly, she held her wrist in her opposite hand and replied, "I… I was gonna ask you three the same thing."

Ruby traded glances with Weiss and Yang. "That's… a _long _story."

"Well," Blake replied, still hesitant, "I'm not going anywhere."

"That's all that matters," Ruby replied, her laugh to light and soft to truly be a giggle. "That we're all here together." Hopefully, she and Weiss looked at Yang together. "Right?"

Yang looked up at Blake. Blake looked away, ears curling in shame, as Yang observed her. There were still questions, still angers and grievances in Yang's conscience… but there was also a conversation from the past month, a conversation with the heiress on her bed, that allowed Yang to smile and nod. "Yeah."

Blake looked up in surprise at the word, at Yang's smile of welcome. At Ruby's side, Weiss opened the embrace and extended her hand. Finally, Blake smiled back, eyes shining as she practically leaped into the group embrace as the final link in their chain. For the first time in over half a year, Team RWBY was whole again.

Watching with happiness from the side were Jaune, Ren, and Nora, as well as Sun and Blake's parents from across the hall. However, to the side, Qrow had dropped to a knee beside Ozpin, who had collapsed in fatigue after Hazel and the teens had fled. Qrow sighed and smiled ruefully, Relic in hand, as he said, "I don't know how, but we did it, Oz." Concerned at his friend's weariness, he asked, "You okay?"

However, Ozpin wasn't the one who answered. "I'm alright," Oscar replied between deep pants.

"Kid?" Qrow said in surprise, eyebrow raised.

"He's resting," Oscar explained, chest heaving and a hand held to sore ribs. "To much energy fighting."

Not as worried but still concerned, Qrow told his young ward, "Well, hey, don't strain yourself!"

Oscar cut him off, "No! He had… a message!" Between breaths, the boy spilled out, "We must… get the lamp to… Atlas." With a sharp groan, Oscar slumped to the side, eyes rolling up in his head as he passed out from overexertion. Qrow quickly caught him in his free hand as he fell, laying the boy gently on the ground beside him.

Deciding to let his friend and Oscar have their rest, the Huntsman stood to his feet and surveyed the room, taking sight of the girls on the floor as they finished their heartfelt embrace and Team JNPR looked on, then glanced at the Relic, fully appraising it for the first time. The large blue orb within the lamp glowed and shimmered as Qrow replayed the words in his mind. _Get the lamp to Atlas._

One journey may have ended, Qrow realized with a weary sigh, but another had undoubtedly just begun.

* * *

**Island of Patch, Vale Territory**

Taiyang Xiao Long knelt beside his simple garden of sunflowers, digging into the soil with his fingers as he tended to the blossoms. Suddenly, the sound of fluttering wings from a tree behind him drew his attention. Tai turned around and searched for the source, but all he saw was a small, black feather that drifted lazily to the ground. With a knowing sigh, Tai turned and went back to his garden.

**Author's Note: So, one of the biggest complaints I noticed a lot of people making at the end of this Volume was how Adam was stupid for not bringing his army to Haven like he did at Beacon. To them, I would say, no, of course he didn't! By Watts's own words in chapter nine, this was meant to be a sneak in sneak out deal with "No resistance, no one the wiser." So of course, Adam wouldn't have brought a large force of people! All I see in this is people needlessly finding nitpicks to reinforce their opinion that this Volume was trash and Miles and Kerry are ruining Monty's vision, which it clearly wasn't and they clearly are not. **

**Regardless, that was Volume Five, and while definitely not the best Volume of the series, I do think it had its high points, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the Adam Character Short and the beginning of Volume Six! - Jek**


	75. Adam Character Short

**Adam Character Short**

**Kuchinashi, Kingdom of Mistral, Several Years Ago...**

"Alright, and you said there were no cameras?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure-

"Pretty sure?! You _work _here!"

"I work in labor! I'm not even _allowed _near processing!"

They were still uncertain. He could tell from their voices even as he slowly approached from the end of the alley. He didn't blame them for it; rather, he felt reassured by it, as if their fear made his confidence in their success that much more powerful. He felt it in his bones, his sense of justice and pride washing over him with every step as he drew near.

One of them shook their head with a sigh. "Ugh, this doesn't feel right."

"Maybe we should just leave."

"_No._" He finally spoke, his firm voice grasping their attention as they turned in surprise to witness his arrival. "It's time we stood up for ourselves."

"Adam!" the woman exclaimed in surprise, her small, canine ears twitching slightly, the fuse box that their inside man had disabled forgotten.

"Our kind's been _beaten_," Adam continued as he drew near, "_murdered_, treated like _dogs!_ Taking this Dust is only illegal in the eyes of the same people that call us animals!" He lifted his hand to his face, obscuring his eyes for the first time with the mask. It was simple, made of stone and white with slits for his eyes. From within, the angular vision it offered narrowed the world into the foursome before him, who had seemed to relax at his presence.

He had agreed to meet them here the week before, once they had found out that Beryl worked at the small SDC plant and knew the ins and outs. They had been reluctant at first, not used to these types of tactics from the White Fang, but with the recent arrival of Sienna Khan into its ranks, it seemed that Faunus across Remnant were beginning to agree with her methods.

The leader of the small troupe, Alex, nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Hey, what's with the custom mask?" he asked behind the handkerchiefs that he and the rest of their group were wearing. "Kind of makes you look like a Grimm."

Adam gave a slight, tight-lipped smile. He, particularly had been taken by Sienna's philosophy, and while he still respected Ghira Belladonna, he had been upset at the High Leader's refusal of Sienna's plan to raid the factory. Frustrated, Sienna had decided to go ahead with the mission in secret and had given the assignment to Adam, who had agreed immediately. He had made the mask specifically for this mission, and he had developed his own philosophy along with it. "We may not want them to know _who _we are," he replied as he walked towards the door to the plant, "but we should make sure they never forget what we _looked like._" Behind him, the other Faunus nodded in agreement. Adam placed his hand on the door and pushed, exerting his strength so that the lock broke effortlessly as the door swung open. "Now, it's time we got what we deserved."

With new determination, the foursome rushed into the building, Adam close behind as they began their mission.

* * *

**Mistralian Forests, Six Months Later…**

One of the drivers of the caravan leaped from the driver's seat of his vehicle and sprinted around the side of the truck, his pistol drawn while gunshots whizzed through the air. Beside him, Ilia Amitola glared from behind her own mask, personalized by two chameleon horns that protruded from the top. Since the first raid, the word of Adam's mask had spread like wildfire among the ranks of the White Fang, and despite Ghira's displeasure at the symbol, much of the organization had unofficially adopted the mask into their own uniform. Adam had further stylized his mask with red highlights since, his eyes kept hidden behind it almost constantly. At the moment, he also cowered behind the truck beside Sienna, though out of restraint rather than fear. He glanced at her, her own ears flattening to her head as she met his eyes. He could tell she was as anxious as he to fight, but Ghira had only authorized violence at his command, preferring to try and negotiate with attackers.

The practice had become common as their organization had gained power. Ghira was notably a pacifist, proclaiming to the world that the White Fang would be an organization of peace and would only combat the prejudice experienced by the Faunus with nonviolent demonstration. However, not all humans in Remnant were ready to accept the Faunus as equals, evidenced by the ambush that had sprung upon their caravan as they travelled to a summit through the forests of Mistral.

Ghira himself was taking cover behind the engine of the vehicle, cautiously peeking over the top every few moments despite the Dust rounds that pinged off of the hood. "Please!" he shouted. "We're just trying to pass through!" However, as a round sizzled through the air and broke a cracked hole in the driver's window beside him, he ducked back behind the engine.

From the forests, the leader of the attacking supremacists spat back venomously, "Well you animals passed through the wrong town!"

Ghira tried again, slowly raising up. "There's no need for violence!"

In response, the leader took aim with his six shooter and fired, catching Ghira on the wrist with a shot that caused the Faunus's Aura to shimmer across his body as he grunted in pain. Sienna's eyes went wide with the surprised anger that Adam felt himself. They traded glances again, and she gave him a small, affirmative nod. No matter Ghira's wishes, she had decided that if harm came to their High Leader, Adam was authorized to retaliate.

With a grim scowl, Adam obliged, leaping over the top of the truck with his hand already on Wilt's blade. He landed in a crouch in the dust, waiting for all of the attacker's to fix on him, then sprang into action, rushing the first one head on. Armed with a cleaver-like sword, the human brought it up to bear on his attacker, but Adam moved far too fast for him to properly react. The Faunus man quickly slashed upward with his blade and knocked the other sword away, then flipped in the air and dropped the supremacist with a devastating kick to the back of his head.

Two more with guns had already locked onto him, but Adam moved with blinding speed. Pushing off of a nearby tree, he leaped in front of them and spun Wilt, catching all of their rounds on his blade as the weapon absorbed the energy. Violently, he lunged forward to one of the gunners and slammed Blush into her throat, sending her painfully into unconsciousness. Behind him, Sienna had come to Ghira's aid, and now both watched in stunned awe as Adam deflected another bullet and leaped to the next opponent. Ducking low, he swiped his leg beneath hers and thrust up with the butt of his sword, launching her into the air before he leaped up and slammed her back down with his kick.

Another of the ambushers had opened fire with a twin pair of pistols, but Adam was easily able to catch all of the shots on his blade before ducking a few more as he raced forward and batted him away with a blow to the head. More shots came his way, all of them falling upon Wilt's blade as Adam repeated his tactic again, sprinting towards the shooter while blocking with his chokuto. Quickly, he sheathed his sword into Blush and fired off the shotgun, launching Wilt forward so that the hilt slammed into the woman's torso like a missile and spun in the air from the force while she slid to the ground against the tree.

Adam was there to catch it before it hit the ground, a grim smile having appeared on his face. Despite the fire coursing through his veins, it gave him great pleasure to vent his frustration on these human _imbeciles. _There appeared to only be one attacker left standing, almost seeming panicked as he futilely opened fire on Adam. Adam easily blocked the shots at such close range and kicked the man to the ground, his foot coming to rest upon the man's chest. However, from behind there came a desperate cry. Adam turned to see the leader, the original man who had shot Ghira, rushing the truck, pistol in hand as he began to shoot. Acting on pure instinct, Adam lashed out, activating his Semblance as he slashed with his sword. In an instant, the energy stored within Wilt's blade was released, the wave catching the attempted assassin across his chest as a surprised grunt escaped his lungs.

The truck jostled as the man was hurled violently against its side. When Ghira and the other White Fang members rounded the vehicle a moment later, all they could do was stare in shock at the broken body of the human on the ground, resting in a puddle of crimson that slowly spread around it. Across the wooden back of the truck, a long smear of blood streaked as a grisly testament to the power of Adam's Semblance. Beside the dead man's hand rested his pistol, a few bullets scattered nearby.

"You're all freaks!" came a cry from behind. The White Fang all turned to see a few of the assailants had recovered. However, upon witnessing the carnage Adam had wrought, they turned tail and ran into the forest in horror.

Adam glared after them as they went, seething in rage, but Ghira's voice from beside the body drew his attention. "That _wasn't _necessary," the Faunus leader said in a quiet but firm rebuke. He gestured to the fallen human. "This is the very reason they think they can treat-"

"_Ghira!_" came Sienna's own sharp reproach. Ghira turned to his lieutenant, who regarded him somewhat indignantly as she gestured to Adam. "He saved your life! He's a hero!"

Around them, the other Faunus began to agree, cries of "That was incredible!" and "You're the best, Adam!" being taken up. The bull Faunus himself, whose head had been bowed in deference and slight shame at disappointing his leader, suddenly lifted in surprise as the throng began to affirm his action. None of them noticed as they closed in around Adam the animosity in the gaze between Ghira and Sienna, who both stood there and glared at each other for a long moment before Ghira turned and walked back to the truck.

* * *

**Forever Fall, One Year Later… **

"Blake, I'm sorry!" Adam said as he approached her. She had her back turned to him, her arms crossed as she stared out across the sea of red leaves that was Forever Fall's canopy. He could tell from her stance that she was hurt that he'd broken his promise, but she had to understand that these things happened. "I told you, it was an accident."

She turned on him, her eyes not hard enough to be scathing but still able to convey her disapproval. "Was it?" she asked, her tone slightly accusatory. "This wasn't the first time humans have died on missions you've led." She crossed her arms, her Faunus cat ears laying flat on her head with uncertainty. "How many more accidents are there going to be?"

Adam tried to keep his frustration out of his voice as much as possible as he replied, "I don't know! I'm out there," he gestured towards the horizon, "fighting for us, and when you fight, people get hurt! What, do you want me to just _abandon _our cause?" His head cocked to the side slightly, a hint of bitterness entering his tone. "Like your parents?"

The news had been taken quite controversially among the White Fang when Ghira had decided to step down as leader of the organization and turn over the reigns to Sienna while he retired with Kali to be the Chieftain of Menagerie. Many of Sienna's more radical adherents had taken the news as progress, believing that the new Chieftain's pacifist ways had been keeping the organization down, while others criticized him for buckling under the pressure of the humans and running from their fight. While Adam was a mixture of the two, Blake fell in the latter camp, and from what she had told Adam, her last conversation with her parents before she had left to come to Vale had been heated and bitter.

Blake recoiled at the mention of her parents. "No!" she replied, hurt. "I'm not saying that, I… I don't know." She shook her head and looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

Mentally, Adam kicked himself seeing how much his words had stung her. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to her. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "I shouldn't have brought them up." His hand came up to his chest. "I just get scared when I feel like you don't believe in me anymore."

Blake had looked back up at him, and stepped forward to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I never said that."

Despite himself, Adam gave her a relieved smile. "Thank you, Blake," he said genuinely. "It's good to know I've still got you." Reassured, he turned and stared out at the leaves of Forever Fall, not noticing that at his words, Blake's warm smile had fallen and her ears had once again flattened against her head.

* * *

**Mantle, Atlas, Two Months Later…**

Sienna's fighting, Adam reflected as he cleaved through the hull of an Atlesian Knight 130, had not been diminished by her new status as leader of the White Fang. Still as elegant and deadly a fighter as the day he'd first met her, he watched from the corner of his eye as she took on five of the androids alone, twirling her weapon, a chain whip with an end of pointed Dust darts and attached to a handle in her hand, with the stunning dexterity and grace of a ribbon dancer, slicing through torsos and limbs with ease.

And all with a smile on her face. The whip coiled around her right arm as the robots fell around her in a pile of broken machinery. Grinning, she spun to take on another as it rounded the corner, kicking off of its chestplate to flip herself back and over the two droids that Adam and Ilia were fighting. With a flick of her wrist, the chain shot forward and decapitated Ilia's opponent, and just as quickly Sienna pivoted and launched it forward again, thumbing a button in the handle that released one of the Dust darts, which buried itself in an oncoming AK-130's chest. The robot looked at her for a moment as she twirled her chain with a smirk, but before it could take another step, the dart exploded in a burst of fire and it fell to the ground, sparking.

However, another squad was right behind it, hands already morphing into spinning gun barrels as they opened fire. One of the Faunus soldiers was hit and fell to the ground, and Adam quickly stepped in front and presented Wilt as a spinning shield to prevent any further casualties. Ilia darted forward, catching a few of the rounds on her own blade before she beheaded the first, bisected the second, and ran the third through the chest with her electric whip.

Adam was close behind her, quick to take the initiative as three new robots appeared. With blinding speed, he dashed forward and made three quick cuts, sheathing his blade a moment before all three collapsed behind him. Adam looked up and saw that there were only two droids left in the hallway. With a quick touch of the trigger, he fired Wilt from Blush, sending the butt of his sword into the head of the first. The robot staggered back, off-balance but not disabled, but Adam darted to it and leaped up, using its head as a stepping stone to leap into the air. The AK-130's head snapped off, and Adam rolled with the movement to kick Wilt, which was still spinning in the air, down the hallway to bury itself in the last android's braincase with a metallic screech.

The hallway clear, Adam and Sienna rounded the corner that led to the Dust storage areas as some human idiot finally had the good sense to trigger the facility's alarms. The hallway was tinged red with emergency lighting as sirens began to whine. The door to the hallway opened, and a group of human soldiers emerged, armed with machine guns.

The moment the humans locked on, they began peppering the area with fire. Adam ducked away to the right, catching a few of the rounds on his blade, while Sienna and Ilia, who had joined them right as the shooting started, retreated to the left. Separated by the wall of fire, Adam and Sienna traded glances, but before they could begin to work out a plan of attack, they looked down at a clatter at their feet. Both of them recognized the smoke grenade immediately, each bringing a hand to their mouth as the gas filled the area.

The human guards grinned as the sounds of coughing emanated from the hallway, but their smiles dropped as two shapes emerged from the cloud of smoke. Adam and Sienna were side by side, criss-crossing as they began to engage. Sienna leaped high and lashed out with her metal whip, wrapping the chain's end around one of the guns and yanking it from its owner's hands with a firm tug. She landed in the midst of four of the six guards and began spinning and twirling, dodging the guards' fire as she swung her captured gun around like a club at the end of her chain, knocking three of them to the ground.

Adam himself wore a smile of sadistic glee as he rushed into the thick of things, slashing left and right with Wilt, each swing an expression of his hatred. As the smoke began to slowly clear, Ilia and the other Faunus watched in amazement as Adam and Sienna single-handedly mopped up the guards, Sienna sending an ice dart into her final opponent's weapon to freeze it solid before yanking him off his feet, while Adam struck his last man brutally with the butt of Blush. The guard fell to the ground, dazed, and looked up in terror as Adam approached like a vengeful demon. Relishing in the horror on the man's face, Adam raised his sword high, the tip pointing at the man's stomach, before a voice stopped him.

"Adam," said Sienna. Adam looked up from his victim to see Sienna with her foot on her fallen enemy's chest. Glancing back at him, she ordered, "Let's move," before rushing forward into the Dust storage area. Obediently, Adam twirled his sword and sheathed it, then left the terrified man on the floor as he, Ilia, and the other Faunus followed after Sienna.

* * *

**White Fang Headquarters, Kingdom of Mistral, One Week Later… **

"You continue to be an extraordinary resource to this organization," Sienna commended Adam as he knelt before her in her throne room. Since the daring raid on the Mantle Dust processing plant, morale within the White Fang had soared, and Sienna's pleasure with Adam's performance had the young adept practically glowing at her praise.

Subserviently, Adam replied, "Everything I do is for the Faunus."

"I'm sending you back to Vale," Sienna informed. "You are to assume control of the brotherhood there."

Adam rose, smiling with gratitude. Vale, where he could be with Blake. "Thank you, High Leader," he said, accepting his new position with pride, before turning to make ready to depart for his assignment.

"Adam." Sienna's voice stopped him, and he looked over his shoulder to see her smiling proudly at him. "If you continue along this path, you might just find yourself standing behind me at my throne."

Adam's smile widened slightly, and as he turned and left the throne room, his mind dwelled on the future, already contemplating what his first mission would be. He had heard rumors of a train shipment of Dust scheduled to be entering Vale in a few weeks, and he would need to make preparations with his men and Blake to be ready to intercept it.

* * *

**Present Day… **

The doors to the throne room burst open, and four Faunus guards ran into the room, clearly bringing urgent news. "High Leader!" the lead one cried, coming to a stop at the base of the stairs that led to the throne upon which Adam sat. "We received a message from Hazel. The raid on Haven's gonna be a little more complicated than we thought."

Adam stood from his chair, his smile cocky. "Don't worry. Nothing can stop us now." He took a moment to soak in the moment, to bask in the triumph that he could tell was so near. After tomorrow night, no Faunus on Remnant would ever look at the White Fang the same again. "It's time I got what I deserved."

* * *

He breathed heavily as he staggered through the forest, exhausted from the effort it had taken to escape his own compound. Upon his return, his men had been immediately hostile, ready to depose him as leader. They had had to be dealt with. However, the sheer amount of guards that had tried to prevent his escape had been overwhelming.

Removing the small white mask from his face, Adam let it fall to the dirt, abandoning it as he had abandoned his organization, with only a thirst for vengeance and a name coursing through his mind, making his blood boil with rage.

_**Blake.**_

**Author's Note: I'll more directly address this in the chapter itself, but I'll just say here that I'm a believer in just desserts, and Adam received his. - Jek**


	76. Argus Limited

**Chapter One: Argus Limited**

**Argus Limited Railway, Kingdom of Mistral**

Snow, gentle and soft, drifted lazily from the sky, already beginning to make piles on the green grass and bowing a few tree limbs under its weight. As fall continued and the first hints of winter made themselves known, the northern region of Anima and the Kingdom of Mistral transformed into a ruggedly beautiful landscape, the mix of evergreen conifers and persistent vegetation mingling with the white snow to create a sight fit for a postcard. However, the wilderness's more important purpose in Mistral was sheltering the Argus Limited Railway, built into the shadow of looming, snow-capped mountains.

The rails were silent, absent of a load, and spectated the land below it in solitude, observing how the snow thickened and the brush grew more dense the closer it grew to the mountain's base. In the distance, a horn sounded, heralding the soon arrival of a train. However, this locomotive would be no ordinary one.

The Argus Limited chugged through the snow, racing like a bullet down the tracks as the flakes fell, tossed in a dizzying dance by wind, but the Grimm following it, a pride of Manticores, kept easy pace, knifing through the sky on black wings. The beasts were built with the armored bodies of lions, with horned heads, bony collars, and venomous stingers for tails, a fearsome sight for any normal girl in Remnant.

However, Ruby Rose was far from normal. Taking careful aim with her sniper scythe Crescent Rose, she fired and scored a hit on one of the Manticores' wings. The beast roared as it fell, rolling over the cars of the train before Ruby stopped it as it reached her with a slice through its torso. The creature dissolved into black smoke as Ruby twirled her scythe with a satisfied grin.

"Ha! Got him!" she cried triumphantly. "Now who's next?" A strike from behind answered her, jostling her forward with a surprised yelp as she turned to see a wall of ice that had suddenly appeared behind her to keep another Manticore from tackling her off the train. At her side, a snowflake glyph appeared on the roof of the train as Weiss Schnee skated by, rapier in hand and a "Thank me later!" tossed over her shoulder. With practiced grace, the Heiress leaped the gap between two cars and sent out twin blasts of ice from her blade that eliminated two more of the monsters.

On the next car down, Blake Belladonna tossed her pistol whip, Gambol Shroud, forward to bury itself into another Manticore's shoulder. Leaping off the side of the train, the Faunus girl drew the rope taut and shouted, "Incoming!" as she pulled herself onto the Grimm's back. Looping her ribbon around the creature's horns, she pulled back hard; the Manticore reared back like a bucking bronco at the bite of the rope, opening up its underbelly. Seeing the opening, Yang Xiao Long blasted herself forward and through the beast's stomach, killing it as it faded into nothing. The girls landed side by side, Yang wearing a smile of enjoyment as they battled. "Good to see you're not rusty!" she quipped to Blake.

Further up, the rest of their friends were just beginning to climb onto the roof, Nora, Jaune, Ren, and Oscar climbing up ladders on the side of the train to reach the roof. Oscar hurried up the rungs and began to sprint towards Qrow, who was battling his own Grimm in the middle of the train, while Nora met Ren and Jaune's eyes and complained, "Why is it always _something?!_"

"Just keep them towards the back!" Ruby shouted back, still battling the Manticores with her teammates. Quickly, the other three scrambled to the roof and joined in on the fight. Ren opened fire with StormFlower's twin pistols, while Nora got back to back with Jaune and started bombarding the Grimm with her grenades as her leader used his shield to block any fireballs that the Manticore hoard launched at them from their mouths.

One of the monsters swooped in, and Nora launched a grenade down its throat; in a flash of black smoke, the beast simply disappeared. Noticing that a few of the larger Manticores had gotten close, she cried, "Ren!" Dashing forward as her friend turned, the two locked hands, Ren spinning her around as she let loose another barrage. With a mighty leap, she transformed Magnhild into its hammer form and slammed it down into the head of the last creature, obliterating it.

"_Tunnel!_" came a frantic shout from the front of the train. As one, the seven friends turned to see Oscar sliding down between a gap in the cars. Qrow followed suit as soon as the words left the kid's mouth, and the teens were quick to follow.

"Go!" Ruby ordered. The rest needing no further prompting, everyone took off for the nearest gap. Weiss was right behind Blake and Yang when a fireball exploded at her feet, knocking her off balance. With a frightened cry, she toppled forward, about to plunge to certain death in the forest below, before a hand snapped forward and clutched her own.

Ruby's smile sparkled in her silver eyes as she met Weiss's grateful gaze. "Thank me later!" With that, she grabbed hold of her friend and activated her Semblance, zipping them both into the gap to safety in the nick of time just as the cutoff of the tunnel arrived.

* * *

**White Fang Headquarters, Kingdom of Mistral**

"_I can't believe he turned his back on us. He just-"_

_The doors swung open. His even steps betrayed none of the rage that simmered barely below the surface. "Step away from my throne. We have work to do."_

"_We?" came the incredulous reply. "Everyone knows what you did. You abandoned your brothers at Haven."_

_The edge in his voice, as sharp and deadly as Wilt's blade. "Step. Away. From my-"_

"_We're not taking orders from you anymore." Defiance? "We heard you folded the moment you got sass from the Belladonna girl. I guess she's got more control over you than you-"_

_It snapped. Whatever bridge that had been supporting his fragile grasp on sanity since the militia had arrived and everything had begun to go wrong broke with that name. In its place was something unstable, something… volatile._

_He felt dangerous._

_It felt good. _

_He unsheathed his sword. _

* * *

Adam sat on his throne, staring at the bodies littering the throne room. One hand held his weapon, now cleaned and sheathed; the other cradled his chin in contemplative thought. He vaguely recalled there had been some talking, both by him and by the other Faunus, but at some point, everything in his memory went red.

Red, like Wilt's blade. Red like the fiery streaks in his hair, like the carpet and banner of the throne room. Red like the blood that now painted damp swaths of carnage across the floor. And yet, through all of the red, he could still hear a name, he could still see the man's lips forming the words.

Aloud, he said them. "The Belladonna girl." He stood from his throne, looked at the death he had wrought. "Blake." His hair glowed red, as did Wilt's blade, as it sliced through the head of the chair like butter.

There would be more. His arrival hadn't gone unnoticed, and he doubted his departure would be received any easier. They could wait. He had more than enough rage for all of them. For now, he allowed the red to fall once more over his vision, and with lips curled into a snarl, he threw his head back and let out an inhuman scream of pure, animal fury.

* * *

**Mistral Central Station, Mistral**

"_It's been two weeks since the attack on Haven. The official report states that the plot to destroy Mistral's CCT Tower was thwarted by Ghira Belladonna and the Faunus militia group from Menagerie. A Huntsman and some students coincidentally visiting the headmaster were also able to lend some assistance. _

"_Unfortunately, Leonardo Lionheart lost his life while trying to defend his school. And those responsible for organizing the attack managed to escape. As I'm sure you can guess, there's a lot more to this report than I'm willing to say in this letter. But for now, what I'm trying to say is that we're on our way to Atlas, James. There's a good chance we'll get there before this letter does, but in case we don't, I need you to know that we're bringing a lot more than bad news with us. _

"_See you soon, Qrow." _

Qrow looked down at the small envelope in his hand. It seemed so normal, so simply plain, perfectly in place in the hub of Mistral Central Station. It was odd, how such a nondescript and ordinary slip of paper held the key to not only his own future, but that of the rest of humanity as well, and an uncertain one at that. The thought sent and unpleasant chill down his spine, and he dropped the letter into the small mail receptacle before he could dwell on it any further.

However, as a familiar, excited girl in all red rushed past him and bumped his arm,

Qrow's nerves managed to relax. "Hey, what's with the running?" he asked his niece.

For her part, Ruby barely stopped to quickly exclaim, "What's with the standing, it's almost time!" Activating her Semblance, the girl zipped across the main plaza of the station in a burst of rose petals to her group, who were all seated at their own benches. Upon arrival, Ruby held her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth with a smile on her face.

"And?" Yang asked.

With a triumphant cry, Ruby produced a small, gift shop bag. Weiss rolled her eyes. "What an absolute waste of time."

Yang disagreed, nearly cutting the Heiress off as she asked eagerly, "What did you get me?"

"You'll have to wait and see-ee!" Ruby sing-songed.

"No fair!" her sister complained. Ruby merely stuck her tongue out in response, then dodged as Yang took a swipe at the bag before Nora sprung up between them.

"Oh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus!" the Valkyrie cried happily, prancing around with excitement. "Beautiful northern coastline! You think it's too early for beach season?" she remarked, a smirk on her face as she imagined a certain green-clad boy in swim trunks and nothing else.

Ren nervously caught the gaze and the meaning behind it. "Unfortunately," he remarked, "but we _will _be one step closer to Atlas."

"Well I'm glad _you're_ all excited," Weiss remarked sourly, "but I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas."

The group knew well of her trials at Schnee Manor, and Ruby's voice held kind sympathy as she reassured her friend, "I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us! Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second! I promise." She gave a warm smile.

Despite herself, Weiss's face relaxed into a smile of her own, her eyes wordlessly conveying her gratitude, before a pair of voices suddenly cut in on the conversation.

"No one's gotta be worried with us around!" a man's voice announced. Together, the teens turned to see a pair of Huntsmen standing before them, each with a weapon slung over his shoulder and a cocky smirk on his face.

Nora gave voice to everyone's thoughts. "And… you are…?"

The one to their left, clad in a navy jacket, light blue pants, and brown leather gloves, gestured to himself and his comrade. "Why, Dee and Dudley, of course," he replied, his voice dripping with smugness, "The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen." The spiked mace in his hand shone slightly under the lights of the station. "We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory."

The one to the right, wearing a slightly lighter jacket over a white shirt and brown pants and leaning a rifle against his shoulder, chimed in. "But, for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention, should things," he winked, "get dangerous."

Nora, arms crossed, mirrored Ruby and Yang's unamused expressions as Weiss rolled her eyes, everyone clearly unimpressed by the duo. However, before they could continue their swindle, a low voice approached from the mail area.

"Hey, I've got a tip for ya," said Qrow, who stared grimly at Dee and Dudley as he strolled over with his hands in his pockets. "Buzz off. Looks like Mistral is really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days." Behind him, Ruby and Yang messed with the men, making faces and shedding imaginary tears.

The Huntsmen didn't take kindly to the mockery. "Hey, you're talking to a-"

"A professional Huntsman, right," Qrow finished with an annoyed tone, pulling out his Scroll to display his own Beacon Academy credentials. "Well it seems like one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open." The pair turned in surprise. "It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started."

Dudley glanced at Dee. "I-I didn't do it!"

Dee just groaned in annoyance. "Ugh, come on, dummy."

With that, the men walked away, still arguing, as they headed to the caboose to rectify their mistake. In Oscar's head, Ozpin sighed. "_I do hope those weren't Beacon graduates._"

Oscar turned to the group. "You know, sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming. But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our job and not theirs." The others murmured their agreement before Qrow turned to Ruby and Yang.

"So, you kids ready to go? Bike all packed up?" he asked Yang.

"Yep!" responded his niece.

"Just waiting on Blake," Weiss said, adding, "as usual."

* * *

The Faunus girl in question was currently on the second floor of Mistral Central, tying up some loose ends before she headed off with her friends.

Hesitantly, Ilia said, "I still don't feel like I deserve the freedom you and your family granted me." She had changed outfits since the Battle of Haven, trading in her White Fang spy clothing for a simple gray shirt, jacket, and dark magenta pants. She looked bashful, staring at the floor with her ponytail bobbing gently behind her.

Blake gave her a reassuring smile, placing a hand on her hip. "Well, you're going to have to get over it, Ilia. Saving Haven had a huge impact on how Faunus are seen in Mistral. Now it's up to you all to take the progress and keep running with it."

Ilia smiled back. "Right. The White Fang may have been a failure, but with your father starting up a new movement, I've got more faith than ever before." She paused, her foot raised slightly as if she were debating how to move, then she closed the distance between them in a few quick steps and threw her arms around her friend in a deep hug. "Thank you, Blake, for everything." Her voice cracked slightly as she continued, "I wish you didn't have to go."

"I know," Blake replied as Ilia released her and stepped back, "but my team needs me. We're going to track down the people responsible for the attack on Haven _and _the Fall of Beacon."

Ilia rolled her eyes with a small grin and gave a rueful chuckle. "Always trying to save the world."

Blake placed a hand on the rail. "More than you realize."

"Hey," Ilia began, "I know your parent's already saw you off, but where's-"

"Sun?" came a familiar boy's voice from behind them. Both girls turned to see the monkey Faunus leaning against the rail with a mischievous smirk. "Oh, he's right here." Blake allowed herself a small smile as she walked over to him. Sun straightened, still grinning, and remarked, "What, you didn't think I was gonna miss your big send-off, did you?"

From behind him, another boy with neon blue hair, orange goggles, and a maroon coat leaned into view and corrected, "He definitely overslept and absolutely almost missed this."

Sun gave a small groan and turned to Neptune Vasilias with a finger sternly held to his lips. Blake giggled slightly as Neptune merely gave a cheeky grin and pushed him forward. "Hey, Blake," he said nonchalantly, before turning to Sun. "Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan?" Neptune's gaze wandered over Blake's shoulder to Ilia, who stood by the rail and watched the people below. "Oh," he remarked, his voice taking on a different, more suave tone. "I didn't know Ilia was gonna be here." With a swagger in his step, Neptune began to stroll towards the chameleon Faunus, remarking over his shoulder, "I'll, uh, I'll give you two a moment," before he began to launch into a cheesy pickup line about camouflage. Blake held up a hand to stop him, but Neptune was already flirting.

"Wrong tree," Blake murmured wryly.

"He'll figure it out," Sun dismissed.

Together, the pair leaned against the railing. "So," Blake said, "you're really going to Vacuo?" After the Battle of Haven had concluded, Sun had immediately begun a search of the city for the rest of his team, who had retreated to Mistral after the Fall of Beacon. He had found them shortly afterward, and upon reuniting with Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune, he had told her that he didn't plan on coming to Atlas with her, instead deciding to take his team to his home academy of Shade, where it was rumored that some of the upperclassmen from Beacon like Team CFVY had taken shelter until the situation in Vale could be sorted out for good.

"That's right," he replied. "Seeing you reunited with the rest of Team RWBY really made me realize something-I'm like the worst team leader ever! Me and the boys were cool with a little hiatus, but we've gotta make up for lost time. Shade Academy's not dealing with any problems like Haven right now." He grinned, pounding his fist into his hand. "Plus, that means I can show the guys around my old stomping grounds!"

Blake still smiled, but her ears drooped slightly. "I have to admit, I think I was kind of getting used to having you around."

"I go where I'm needed!" Sun replied proudly, striking a heroic pose with his hands on his hips. However, his tone turned more serious when he continued a moment later, "And… you don't need me anymore."

Blake paused, a frown sneaking onto her lips as her ears curled further and she looked down at her feet. "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds sad."

She looked back up as Sun's hand fell upon her shoulder. "Look… despite the drama and the fighting and the numerous attempts on my life, I had a lot of fun." He looked down over the railing towards the rest of Team RWBY, JNPR, Qrow, and Oscar. "But you're with who you're supposed to be now."

Blake grasped her arm bashfully, a smile managing to chase away her frown. "Sun," she began, "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough. I'm still-"

"You're still working a lot of things out, I know," he said. "But you can do it with them. And in the future, who knows?" With a determined smile, he raised a hand and made a fist. "I've got a feeling you haven't seen the last of me."

Blake let her smile say more than she ever could. "I certainly hope not." She stood up on her toes and gently pecked him on the cheek.

* * *

"I don't know, man," said Neptune a few minutes later as he and Sun walked down the stairs side by side. "It feels like you're just letting her go."

Sun rolled his eyes and pointed to his head. "It was never about that, brainiac. Besides, now that you're leader's back and hardened from battle, I've gotta focus all of my time into getting you boys ready for the wastelands!"

Neptune groaned at his antics and walked ahead, leaving Sun to stare after him in confusion.

* * *

**Argus Limited Railway, Kingdom of Mistral**

The rooms were well furnished enough, Team RWBY's own having a bunk bed on either side and a window outlooking the white forest and the falling snow outside, almost reminding Blake of their old dorms at Beacon Academy. The beds were comfy and plush with a simple white pillow and a red comforter, and a cabinet in the wall provided enough space for all of their baggage. For what seemed like the first time in a year, the entire team was in a room together without anyone else.

Ruby and Weiss were across the room, Weiss reading a book on the lower bunk and batting away Ruby's flapping cape as their younger leader played a video game on her Scroll. Above Blake's own bunk, Yang lay on her stomach and flipped through the pages of a motorcycle magazine. However, Blake herself stared out the window at the gentle snowstorm, feeling rather melancholy. Not only was she still missing Sun, but after Haven, there had been a noticeable difference between her and Yang, one that she couldn't articulate but rather felt in the small glances she would occasionally catch from her blond teammate, in the careful tone Yang used whenever they spoke.

Heedless to Blake's internal dilemma, Ruby called out cheerfully from her bunk, "All right, girls, I think it's time for an official team exercise. Who's ready for video games?"

From above, Yang's legs appeared as she swung herself down. "I mean, if you want me to kick your butt, yeah sure," she replied with a grin. "Lemme grab my Scroll."

She walked over to the cabinet with their luggage, reaching up for her bag, which had been packed at the top. From the bed, Blake straightened as she noticed the bag at the top, and she quickly stood and walked over to Yang.

Placing her hands up on the bag, she said, "Here, let me help you with that." She pulled the bag down and held it in her arms, extending it towards her teammate. Yang looked at her oddly, then closed her eyes and sighed before she took the bag.

"Blake," she said slowly, "you don't need to do that."

The other girl's Faunus ears curled down on her head, her eyes searching for something on the floor. "I don't know what you're talking about."

From the bunks, Ruby and Weiss both watched but stayed silent as Yang paused a moment before bringing a hand to her chest. "I'm fine," she told her friend, "we're gonna be fine. It's just gonna be a bit before things are back to normal. But," she continued with a smile as Blake's ears perked up slightly, "I am glad we're all back together." Ruby and Weiss both leaned over from their beds and gave Blake a reassuring smile, and she relaxed.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Okay."

"How touching." Blake turned toward the door and saw Qrow, smirking at the scene with a martini glass in his hand.

"Oh! Hey, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby greeted. "You wanna play too?"

Qrow chuckled and looked up for a moment in mock thought. "Kick your butts? Sure." He took a step forward, but at that moment, a dull, sinister thud rocked the train. The Huntsman stumbled, his drink slipping from his hand to shatter on the floor, as a crew member rushed past outside.

"What was that?" Blake asked as Qrow took three quick steps to the window.

Weiss frowned. "Exactly what it sounds like."

Blake sighed. "Just my luck."

From the window, Qrow managed to catch a glimpse of black and white swooping towards one of the rear train cars. "It's not yours," he murmured, before turning on his heel and rushing out of the room, tossing, "Grab your weapons!" over his shoulder. Without a word, the friends complied and hurried after the Huntsman.

Qrow dashed through the halls, ignoring the worried or frantic cries of the passengers as he reached the door at the back of his car and burst out into the cold. The winter air hit him like a fist, seeming to force a startled breath from his lungs as he carefully shimmied onto a narrow ledge that led to one of the service ladders. Taking the rungs quickly, he poked his head over onto the roof and took in the sight of a pride of Manticores pursuing them, concentrated around the rear of the train.

The source of the Grimm's attention was the duo of Huntsmen from the station, Dee and Dudley, who stared down the horde with grim determination. The Manticores swooped through the air, along with another Grimm, an enormous Sphinx, with the body of a great cat, black wings, a tail with the head of a serpent, and a gaping maw of sharp teeth. The Sphinx landed on the roof with a roar that reverberated through the air as Qrow was joined by Team RWBY, everyone's weapons drawn.

Surrounded by the storm of monsters, Dee gave a fearless cry as he charged the Sphinx, his spike mace held high and spinning with electricity. However, the beast gave a deafening screech, and the next moment, Dee was swept off the train by one of the Manticores, hurled to certain death in the forest.

"Dee!" Dudley cried as he watched his friend fall. The Sphinx screeched again, apparently the leader of the swarm, and the Manticores attacked, flying or running towards Dudley.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked as she witnessed the charge.

Ruby's silver gaze was steely and firm. "Don't let anyone else die."

With that single order, the team rushed forward to help Dudley and launched themselves into the battle.

Further up the train, Oscar, who had been in a hallway when the thudding and panic had begun, had rushed into the train's dining area and pushed open one of the windows to peek outside. He looked towards the front and ducked back as a Manticore flew past his head towards the fight near the rear, then turned from the window.

"_Shall I?_" came Ozpin's voice in his mind.

Oscar flinched. Since Haven, when Ozpin had forcibly taken control of his body to fight Hazel Rainart, the former headmaster had been on thin ice with his host, Oscar reluctant to talk with him and refusing to allow Ozpin control unless absolutely necessary. "No," he replied, "I'm keeping control." He edged out of the seat he had been kneeling on, but stopped as someone jostled him from behind, turning to see Jaune, Nora, and Ren.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked. However, before Oscar could speak, another shake from the back of the train elicited a fresh cry from the passengers, and Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Come on," he said, motioning his team forward as they sprinted to find the nearest door to the rooftop.

At the rear of the train, the battle continued between the Grimm and the Huntsmen. Ruby struck down a Manticore that swooped for her head as Weiss summoned up a pair of ice glyphs to hurl frozen spikes at the beasts. Dudley ran between them, clutching his rifle in a white-knuckled grip and panting in fear as he passed Qrow, who had just dealt with a pair of Manticores on his own with his scythe. Leaping a gap between two cars as a fireball exploded at his feet, Dudley slung his gun over his back and retrieved his Scroll, frantically thumbing the controls to activate the train's defenses.

As his fingers flew over the buttons, steel bars and metal reinforcements spread across the train, blocking the windows from the outside and fortifying the train into a near-impregnable fortress. At the same time, from hatches in the roof, automatic turrets rose and cocked their guns, opening fire on the Grimm and dropping several of the swarm.

The Sphinx had landed in front of Qrow, and the older Huntsman dueled with the creature with deadly speed, batting away the head of its serpentine tail before he rushed in with a quick series of strikes to its torso. The Sphinx screeched in anger and slammed its paws down, hoping to pin him, but Qrow moved to quickly, turning into his bird form and flying high above the monster before dropping down and transforming again to slash at its neck.

The Sphinx seemed about to retaliate, but before it could attack, a few thick rounds slammed into the back of its neck. Man and beast both looked towards Dudley and saw the auto turrets laying out their deadly fire. In response, the Sphinx turned to the sky and let out another shriek. As if on command, two Manticores pulled in their wings and shot downwards like dive bombers. The first locked onto a turret and tucked into a roll, destroying the gun with its horns, while the second hurled a fireball at its own turret, the car rocking as the gun exploded.

Noticing that the guns were only drawing attention to the passengers, Qrow shouted down at Dudley, "Hey, what are you doing?!" However, the other man didn't hear him, squeezing off his own shots into the sky.

At that moment, the other half of the Beacon crew had emerged on top of the train between Qrow and Team RWBY. Nora glanced over at Jaune and complained, "Why is it always something?!" while Oscar took off down the roof towards Qrow.

Qrow was taking any shots he could with his sword as Oscar rushed up to him and asked, "How can I help?"

Annoyed, Qrow replied, "You can get that idiot to shut off the turrets. They're just drawing the Grimm towards the passengers."

"Right!" With that, Oscar took off, hurtling a turret as it exploded and jumping the gap between two cars before sliding underneath a Manticore's talons and sprinting to Dudley's side. "Stop!" he cried. "You've gotta shut off the turrets!"

Dudley gave him a look of disbelief. "Are you crazy? No way!" They both turned and watched as the turret near Dudley shot a Grimm down in a blast of smoke. "Yes!" Dudley cried in triumph. "Another one down!"

"Stop!" Oscar ordered again, grabbing the man's arm. "We have to lure the Grimm to the back!"

"What does it matter if they're dead?" Dudley replied, shoving him roughly away. However, a screech from the air drew their attention. The Manticores were pulling back, as was the Sphinx, Qrow watching in confusion as the monsters opened their wings and allowed the train to pull ahead.

"Where are they going?" Dudley wondered aloud, mystified. However, growing up on a farm, Oscar had developed an affinity for recognizing animal patterns. When a predator retreated, they were either wounded or waiting. Eyes going wide, Oscar turned back towards the front of the train and screamed one word.

"_**Tunnel!**_"

Dudley whirled in surprise and watched as the rock face of the mountain quickly bore down on them with only a sliver of black for the roof of the tunnel. Thinking quickly, Oscar dashed forward and slid into a gap between the cars before he could be pinned. Dudley tried to do the same, running instead toward the back of the car and slinging himself around into the gap right as the junction reached the tunnel.

Dudley made it into the gap in time. Dudley's arm didn't.

* * *

When the teens reached the car that Oscar had been on, they pulled up in horror at the sight of Dudley sitting against the far door, groaning loudly in pain. He clutched to his left arm at the elbow, where the joint was bent at the wrong angle and was quickly turning purple. Oscar leaned over him, but the boy wasn't equipped to treat such an injury.

From the rear of the party, Qrow stormed forward, livid, pushing aside Ruby and Weiss as he stalked towards Dudley. "I said, turn those damn things off!" he snarled as he leaned down and grabbed the other Huntsman by his shoulders to pull him to his feet before slamming his back against the door. The impact elicited another cry of pain from Dudley, who replied indignantly, "Those things are keeping us alive!"

Ruby turned and walked to a nearby window to peer out as her uncle and the injured man continued to argue. Through the sliver of vision, she could make out the shapes of the Grimm as they tucked in their wings and began to sprint down the tunnel after the Argus. She looked back into the next room at the sound of a baby's cry and saw the terrified passengers grouped together, as if huddling close would give them extra protection.

Ruby glanced at her teammates and could tell that each one of them felt the same weight of responsibility for the safety of the people. With a brief, determined stare, she walked forward. Qrow was still berating Dudley, saying, "Look, if you bozos had been doing your job instead of shaking down passengers, maybe we wouldn't be in this-" before Ruby gently grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away.

She looked Dudley in the eyes. "Please, just shut off the turrets."

Dudley stared at her for a second, panting, before Jaune appeared at his right. "Trust us," the blond boy said, extending his hands towards the broken arm, "we know what we're doing." The white glow of Jaune's Semblance lit his hands, drawing up a golden shimmer on Dudley's arm. The man stared in amazement as his arm began to heal, glancing up at Jaune, before his eyes shifted to Ruby and reluctantly he said, "Fine." Ruby gave a silent nod of thanks.

Behind them, Nora placed her hand on Ren's shoulder, an idea springing to her mind. "Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us."

Ren's normally stoic expression was tinged with uncertainty as he murmured, "I've never attempted to affect this many people."

Ruby smiled. "Well, you've never had Jaune's help before."

Weiss, who knew well of the subject at hand due to the Battle of Beacon, agreed, "He could amplify your Aura!"

Qrow brought a thoughtful hand to his chin. "Yeah, that's an alright plan."

While Nora reassured Ren, "Don't look so worried, Ren. You can totally do this!" Oscar started slightly as mentally, Ozpin asked, "_May I?_" Refusal was on the tip of his tongue, but the headmaster's presence in his mind felt earnest, as if what he had to say was important. Reluctantly, he opened the gate in his mind and felt the strange tingle followed by the unsettling feeling of being a passenger in his own body that accompanied Ozpin taking control.

"I'm afraid there's one complication," Ozpin stated as he strode into the middle of the group. All eyes locked on him, recognizing from the subtle difference in his speech that it was Ozpin who stood before them instead of Oscar. The headmaster gestured with the farmboy's hand to the small, golden lamp encasing a glowing blue light that was hooked to his waist. The Relic of Knowledge. "The Grimm are also attracted to this."

From behind Qrow, his arm still being tended to by Jaune, Dudley craned his neck and asked, "What's that?"

Brusquely, Qrow replied, "None of your business," before he addressed his old friend, "Oz, are you serious?"

His surprise was reflected by the students, accompanied by anger from Yang in particular. "Why wouldn't you tell us that?" she demanded.

Ozpin's eyes flicked down to the floor. "I-"

"It doesn't matter right now," Ruby cut him off as she stepped forward. Heedless of

the suspicious gazes of Weiss, Blake, and Yang, she continued, "Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars," she turned to Ren, "you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets… we just can't come with you." Hearing that, Jaune turned towards Ruby, his hands still outstretched towards Dudley. "If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm." She turned and faced her fellow team leader, knowing he would be the one most unhappy with the plan. "You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus."

Jaune withdrew his Semblance and stepped in front of Ruby, leaving Dudley to flex his healed arm in astonishment. The two friends met eyes. Jaune had never been a fan of splitting up since they had begun their journey to Haven; the last time it had happened, all of them had almost been killed by the Nuckelavee Grimm in Kuroyuri. However, he could see from the look on Ruby's face that he wouldn't change her mind.

"Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there," he said.

Despite the tension, Ruby gave him a small smile. "Promise."

* * *

The plan agreed upon, Nora, Jaune, and Ren began to ferry the passengers into the upper cars while Team RWBY and Qrow returned to the roof as the train emerged from the tunnel, ready to cut the cars and engage the pursuing Grimm. Neither Jaune nor Nora noticed as they waved their hands for the people to follow the stooped form of an elderly woman, dressed in a thick blue cloak around her shoulders and wearing a pair of metal goggles over her eyes

The old woman ambled down the hallways at her own pace, not caring how fast the other passengers were running. However, as she neared Jaune and Nora, she paused, the blue photoreceptors of her goggles narrowing. She couldn't remember the last time she had truly had an adventure, and from the sound of things, the back of the train would be where the action was happening. Glancing at the two children to make sure she wasn't noticed, the old woman turned on her walking stick and discreetly returned back the way she came, going unnoticed due to her small stature by the throng of panicked passengers until she disappeared through the doors to the next car.

On the roof of the train, Dudley had finally complied with Qrow's request, and the turrets folded back into their hatches. Blake was positioned at the coupling between two of the cars, and at the signal, she leaped down and severed the metal connection. She looked up as the train began to pull away and started as she saw, or _thought _she saw, a hooded figure in grey with a sword at its side standing on the other car. Quickly, she drew her katana, but when she looked back up, her brow furrowed in confusion. There was no one on the other car.

The goosebumps on her arms now having nothing to do with the cold, Blake sighed as she resheathed her weapon, before leaping back to the roof of the train. Further back, Ruby saw her and glanced at her Scroll, where local comms displayed Nora's signal growing fainter as the rest of the Argus pulled further ahead. A screech prompted her to look up, and at the sight of the Manticores and the Sphinx emerging from the tunnel, she shouted, "Now!" into her Scroll before Nora could go out of range.

Up ahead, the front portion of the train continued onward. On its roof, Nora

nodded to Jaune and Ren. Ren took his position, kneeling on the roof while Jaune put a hand on his shoulder, and then, both boys activated their Semblances. Jaune's Aura streamed into Ren, amplifying the emotion-shielding effect of his Semblance tenfold with enough strength to blanket the entire train, shadowing the fear and panic of the passengers from the Grimm.

At the front of the train, Oscar, having been given back control by Ozpin, watched as the train gained distance between them, before a roar from behind alerted him to danger. He whirled and brought Ozpin's cane up in time to block a blow from the beast's paw, before battering it back with several quick strikes.

Team RWBY was also engaged in combat, each fighting the Grimm with slashes and blasts from their weapons. Yang faced one Manticore head-on, grabbing it by the horns like a bull and flipping it over with brute strength, before slamming it down to the roof. The monster bounced from the momentum, and Yang finished it off with an uppercut to the head punctuated by a shot from her metal arm.

Blake whipped Gambol Shroud's pistol in a wide arc, keeping her own Manticore at bay. She sheathed her katana and dashed forward with her flat blade. The Manticore lunged forward with its tail, aiming to poison her with the stinger's venom. However, Blake let a shadow take the hit, decoying into the air and slicing through the tail as she flipped over the Grimm, which roared in pain as its tail dissolved.

As Blake rushed back in, Ruby took on two Grimm at once, slicing one's legs off at the knees before leaping onto its neck and decapitating it. With a quick swipe, she clipped the other's wings and fired a round into its armored face at point-blank range. The Manticore dissolved instantly.

Ruby landed beside Weiss, who was casting glyphs and sending elemental

power at any Grimm within range. Ruby blocked a fireball from one of the monster's mouths, but turned at the sounds of combat from the front of their section of train to see Oscar leaping atop his own Grimm's head and hanging on for dear life by the beast's horns as it tried to shake him. The farmboy jumped clear, but the Grimm leaped off of the train and flew alongside, a fireball appearing in its mouth as it prepared to cook Oscar.

At her side, Weiss slashed at another Manticore with her rapier, and as the beast fell towards her leader, Ruby seized it with her scythe and hurled it with a mighty cry down the train. The thrown beast collided with Oscar's enemy, batting them both down into the snowy forest below.

With Oscar safe, the teens turned to the Sphinx, who had been battling Qrow the entire time. Qrow was fighting valiantly, leaping and twisting in the air with deceptive grace as he swung his own scythe, but a lucky strike from the serpentine tail knocked him backwards. Digging his scythe into the roof, Qrow managed to stay on his feet. The Sphinx have him no time to rest, hurling a fireball at him that he managed to block, but the force of the blow sent him sprawling to the roof.

As one, the team moved in to help the Huntsman. Weiss skated into the fight on her glyphs and began darting around the Sphinx like a fly, pestering it with slashes wherever she could find an opening. Ruby dug in with her weapon and fired round after round into the creature, Blake at her side.

"We need to ground it!" Ruby cried, peppering the Sphinx with fire.

"On it!" Blake replied. "Yang!"

Quickly, Yang dealt with the last Manticore and blasted herself towards the Sphinx, while Blake readied her pistol. With a quick slide, Yang appeared on the creature's opposite side, and Blake hurled her pistol. Yang punched it as it came, sending it under the Grimm's belly to loop around the creature like a lasso. Gambol Shroud continued to spin as Ember Celica wrapped it tighter and tighter around the monster, before Yang finally blasted the blade into the roof and grabbed the ribbon. She and Blake pulled tight together, pinning the Sphinx to the roof with a furious shriek.

Weiss appeared in front of it on her glyphs, summoning up two near its wings. Slowly, Dust from the glyphs spread out to the Grimm's wings, encasing them in brittle ice that broke them off of the Sphinx's body. The creature screeched in pain and rage, beginning to summon up a fireball in its mouth, but Ruby and Qrow brought their scythes to bear and dashed forward, firing to gain momentum as they met in a dizzying, spinning strike that sliced cleanly through the Sphinx's torso, finally killing the creature.

However, the victory was bitter sweet, as with its dying breath, the Sphinx fell forward and loosed its fireball ahead of the train. Oscar gasped as the orb travelled over his head and crashed into the tracks ahead of them, sure to derail the train. Thinking quickly, Weiss spun and stabbed her rapier into the ground, summoning up a gravity glyph beneath each of her comrades as the train derailed to keep them on the roof. With a terrible crash, the cars hit the broken rails and swerved off of the track, diving into the snow below.

Despite Weiss's glyphs, the force of the crash was too much, and the friends were hurled from what remained of the Argus as it finally slid to a stop. After the white curtain of snow thrown up from the crash had faded, Qrow slowly rose to his feet, brushing himself off. A few aches and bruises, but otherwise, he was okay. "Is everyone okay?"

The others were also slowly getting to their feet, groggy and sore, but alive. "I'm fine," Weiss said. Oscar gave a small nod as he rose from the snow.

Yang helped Ruby to her feet, her younger sister holding a hand to her aching head. "Yeah." Blake stood to their side.

"_Still alive!_"

As one, the group looked to the wrecked train as an unfamiliar but bright, elderly voice pierced the air. Together, they stared in amazement at a figure who slowly emerged from the ajar of the train. Striding out into the frigid air with a mischievous smile was an old woman that none of them had seen before. The woman was very short, her back slightly hunched, and her gait was assisted by a stocky wooden cane headed by a blue, carved skull. A long, blue dress swathed her body, her hands hidden behind dark brown gloves. Over her shoulders was draped a long, blue cloak of the same color as the dress with a pattern of white triangles at the bottom and a pair of white shoulder pauldrons, and a necklace of blue and gold stones hung around her neck. Her skin, the color of dark caramel, was wrinkled around the edges of her smile; over her eyes, she wore a pair of metal goggles with blue photoreceptors that opened and closed like eyelids.

Grinning wryly, the old woman cocked an eyebrow. "That sure was a close one, eh?"

**Author's Note: Welcome, one and all, to Volume Six! Nearly as controversial as Five, with some loving it, some hating it. I fall in the former category, and it was the most fun I've had writing this show since Volume Three, though I do still think Three holds the spot in my heart as best Volume, as of the moment. Please enjoy! - Jek**


	77. Uncovered

**Chapter Two: Uncovered**

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

Darkness, at first. Black, all consuming nothingness. Then cold, the chill permeating her body to her bones until not a hint of warmth was left. Dimly, she felt herself falling, but strangely, slowly, as if floating gently to the ground. It was when she tried to breathe that her good eye snapped open in alarm.

For a brief moment, terror consumed Cinder Fall's mind as her eye frantically took in her surroundings, darting left to right like a scared bird. The cold wrapped around her in a deathly embrace; chunks of ice clung to her clothes, and nearby, she could see a few hovering in the air. Or _water_, she corrected a moment later when she tried to breathe again. Water streamed into her unprepared lungs, forcing what little air remained violently upward in a burst of bubbles.

With jarring realization, Cinder realized that she was slowly sinking in some kind of pool. Her lungs burning from the water, she stretched out desperately with her Maiden powers to turn herself around and shoot to the surface. As her head broke the water, she gasped hungrily for air, then fell into a violent coughing fit as she expelled the water from her lungs.

As luck would have it, she had come up near the edge of the pool, and with a quick paddle, she pulled herself to land and heaved her soaked and freezing body out of the water. Her red dress, dripping and filthy, clung to her like a second skin and left her shivering as she slumped to the ground with fatigue.

Weakly, the Fall Maiden lifted her hand and tried to summon a fire to warm herself, but the water dampened the flames, and the power flickered before sputtering out in her palm. She gave a grunt of frustration and slammed her Grimm limb on the floor, only for a shaft of light to fall across her face. Cinder squinted into the light, realizing it led to the outside of the mountain. She glanced up and saw the platform of the Vault far above, the orange blossoms on the tree glowing. She recalled those flowers behind Raven as the Spring Maiden released her power, and the last thing Cinder remembered was ice closing over her vision of the triumphant Raven.

The battle flashed back to Cinder's mind, the two Maidens locking blades of pure elemental power. The clash had shaken the entire cavern, and likely the academy above it. That energy wave must have travelled to the base of the Vault, making the rock extremely weak, hence the opening before her.

Cinder's eye narrowed in determination. She pulled herself to the opening and punched with her Grimm arm. The rock crumbled like cardboard beneath her fist. Despite the ache in her limbs, she struck again, then a third time, not stopping until the crevice was large enough to crawl through. When the hole was big enough, Cinder hauled herself through with her hands until the ceiling of her tunnel began to rise. She stood on sore legs and staggered from exhaustion, but managed to stay on her feet. Ahead, the cave stretched onward, but the light at the end was brighter.

Shambling towards the exit, Cinder rounded the corner and found herself in the mouth of the cave. To her displeasure, it was raining outside, which did little to ease the bitter cold still wracking her body. Reluctantly, she stumbled out into the rain, but before she could go far, her legs quivered and gave out, still weak. Cinder fell to the muddy ground, panting. However long she had been floating in that pool, her body was still numb from the cold and felt feeble from nonuse.

"Gods, are you okay?"

Dimly, Cinder was aware of a woman's voice. "Where did you-" it went on, before it cut off in a frightened gasp. Cinder pushed herself up and saw the woman kneeling over her, a basket of produce dropped at her side. The woman's eyes were wide with fear, and Cinder followed their gaze to her own, Grimm arm.

The fear stoked something within her. She savored it, enjoying the emotional flavor, her lips curling into a predatory smile. Then, gazing into the other woman's eyes, she reached within herself, and her own, amber eye lit up with Maiden fire.

* * *

**Rental Home, Mistral**

"We need to take the Relic to Atlas?"

Ruby looked at her uncle, who sat on one of the living room's soft red couches. Beside him lay his weapon, in compact sword form. Around the room, Team RWBY and the three members of JNPR sat or stood at attention, called in for a special meeting by Qrow. Since the Battle of Haven three days prior, the friends had been swamped in police investigations and other bureaucratic red tape as the authorities tried to figure out what exactly had happened. After everything with the police had been sorted out, introductions had been properly made, with Blake introducing her parents and Ilia, while Team RWBY had filled her in on everything they had learned since the Fall of Beacon.

As such, this was the first true moment of time they had had since Haven to discuss their next step. Still, everyone seemed surprised by Qrow's news. "That's what Oz said," the Huntsman affirmed.

All eyes turned to Weiss, who appeared less than pleased. "You've got to be joking."

A finger poked up beside her from the floor. "I mean, bright side," said Nora, who was laying on her back, "we finally get out of this house." Weiss sighed, irked.

Qrow was equally perturbed. "Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. And without the Spring Maiden here to seal the relic back in its Vault, it's our best option."

At the mention of the Spring Maiden, Yang paused in packing her bag, her eyes forlorn as her mind drifted back to her encounter with her mother in the Vault below Haven. She still hadn't told Qrow that his sister was the Spring Maiden, keeping the secret and its burden to herself for now.

Beside her, Ren pointed out, "Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but their borders are closed. General Ironwood called everyone back."

"Eh, not everyone," Qrow replied, pulling out his Scroll to display a map of Remnant. Zooming in on Anima, he highlighted a section of Mistral's territory across Lake Matsu, to the Northwest of Haven. "The city of Argus is a ways north of us, and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside of the Kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned and, if we play our cards right, I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood."

Behind him, Blake piped up, "I mean, we do have the missing Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"Ex-Heiress, actually," Weiss muttered bitterly.

"True, true," Yang admitted, "but if there's a chance of reward money, I say we go for it." Weiss rolled her eyes with a sound of disgust.

"Hopefully the first option will suffice." The gathering turned in surprise to see Oscar stride into the room, noticeably leaning on his cane. Severely weakened by his actions during the Battle of Haven, Qrow had brought Oscar to the same hospital that had examined him weeks earlier and cleared him of Tyrian Callow's venom. The doctors had decided that Oscar had merely overexerted himself and that he would need rest for the next few days. Oscar had obliged, remaining bedridden as he recuperated.

From his voice, Qrow could tell Ozpin was in control. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Likewise," Ozpin replied, "and while I'm sure we could all use more time to recover, I'm afraid time is of the essence."

He walked around the back of the couch past Blake, who was leaning back against the wall, still a bit overwhelmed by everything she had learned from her friends. "Right," she said, glancing at the Relic of Knowledge, which dangled from Ozpin's belt. "As long as that thing's out in the open, its power could fall into the wrong hands."

Jaune, who had been sharpening Crocea Mors, stopped, his eyes flickering up to Ozpin. "Speaking of… what does it do, exactly? Qrow never really told us." There was a hint of suspicion in his voice, as he and Yang were still the least trusting of Ozpin in the group. However, if the former headmaster could hear it, he chose to ignore it.

Instead, he turned to face them, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Of course." Reaching down, he unhooked the lamp from his belt and lifted it before them. In his hand, it seemed to grow larger, as if triggered by him grasping it. "The Relic of Knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous, ability. Its user can ask any question, and the lamp will provide an answer." He lowered it to the table, leaving it to hover supernaturally a few inches above the wood.

Ren stared at the levitating Relic, awestruck. "Intriguing."

"That's incredible," Blake seconded.

"Indeed," Ozpin agreed. "However, it's not without drawbacks. The lamp cannot tell of events that have yet to happen, and it will only ever answer three questions, every one hundred years."

"Well, I guess that's not so bad," Yang admitted. "Adds a lot of pressure, though."

"Then let's put it to a vote!" came the perky voice of Nora, who zipped around the room hyperactively. "What should we ask first. Ooh!" she cried, kneeling down next to the lamp with a crazy smile. "Can we ask for more questions? _Can we ask for more questions?!_"

Ren put a hand to his head. "They're _not _wishes."

Ozpin chuckled at her antics. "I'm afraid you won't be able to ask anything at the moment," he informed them, to Nora's displeasure. "The questions were all used before I sealed it away."

"Well," said Ruby, peering into the blue depths of the orb within the lamp, "at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe."

* * *

**Argus Limited Railway, Kingdom of Mistral**

Still dazedly shaking her head, Ruby crouched down to pick up a few spare vials of Dust from the snow that had been tossed free of their containers by the crash. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of golden-blue light; turning, she noticed the Relic of Knowledge partially buried in the white blanket that covered the forest floor.

"Great! This is just _great!_" came Yang's voice, thick with frustration. Ruby glanced to the side and watched as her sister tugged on Bumblebee, which had been hurled from the train as well. The bike had somehow managed to come out little worse for wear, with only a few dents and scratches marring the metal. However, the motorcycle was proving quite uncooperative with Yang's attempts to extricate it from its snowy prison, which only served to make Yang angrier. "We're _stranded_… we've lost a _third _of our party… and we have _gained… _a defenseless old _lady!_" Each few words was punctuated by a heave on Bumblebee, which dislodged on her last mighty pull. However, the momentum knocked Yang backwards to her back with a grunt; adding insult to injury, the motorcycle knocked the loose snow down to cover her in a cold, wet blanket.

Oscar, who had been examining the sudden newcomer for any sign of injury from the crash, was waved off by the woman as she turned towards Yang. "My name is Maria Calavera," she replied indignantly, "and I am _not _defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing." She paused, tapped her goggles. "And, blind, without my eyes. That are in desperate need of repair." She tapped the goggles a couple more times, the photoreceptors flickering wide and shut before they narrowed back into slits. Maria sighed. "Okay," she acceded, "I'm starting to see your point."

Qrow groaned, rubbing a particularly sore elbow as the girls grouped back up. "Yang, knock it off, will you? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting more Grimm."

Blake's eyebrow shot upward suspiciously as she stared at Oscar's back. "Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm since we left Haven."

Yang agreed, the accusation in her tone unhidden. "Oh, and how could I forget about that?" She glared at Oscar but addressed Ozpin. "What happened to no more lies and half-truths?"

"Yeah," agreed Oscar, turning back to the group. "I think it's time we got an explanation." He twitched, his eyes rolling in their sockets as they glowed. The boy's stance relaxed, became more self-assured, and when his eyes reopened, Ozpin stared back at them. "I did not lie to you," the headmaster began.

"Well you _certainly _didn't tell us everything about the Relic," Weiss shot back.

"Please," Ozpin pleaded, raising his hands placatingly, "Now is not the time-"

"No, we're past that!" Yang cut off hotly. "I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!"

Ozpin sighed slightly, but apparently sensed that the girls would not be satisfied with a nonanswer. His left hand went behind his back while his right extended in a teacherly fashion as he began, "It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."

"You know," Weiss murmured sourly, "I'm getting real tired of people deciding what's best for me."

Yang stepped forward, still on the offensive. "Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?"

Ozpin's brow furrowed slightly in annoyance. "Yes, as a matter of fact," he replied as he turned and began walking away from the wreckage, "I believed that the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."

"_Missteps?!_" Yang repeated indignantly.

"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible," Ozpin quickly continued, "I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."

"Look," Yang replied, hands spread as Ozpin continued to walk away from them, "we're supposed to be in this together. You can _trust _us! We're not going to turn our backs on you."

"_Do you really think Leo was the first?!_"

For a long moment, the wind's lonely howl through the mountains was the only

noise in the clearing. Ozpin turned back and faced them. "That he didn't say those exact same words to me?" Defensively, the headmaster spread his hands. "I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I…" Ozpin paused mid-sentence and glanced around in the snow, finally noticing that a familiar weight was missing from his hip. "Where's the Relic?"

"Right here." Ozpin turned toward Ruby and saw the lamp clenched in her pale hands. The reaper's voice was small and unsure as she said, "It got scattered in the crash."

Ozpin extended his hand. "Please, hand it over."

Ruby didn't move. "So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity… that was just for everyone else?"

He flinched, his hand lowering with a short, tired sigh."That's not what I meant to suggest." His eyes flicked back up to her. "Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear."

Ruby was always the first to see the best in someone and the last to believe the worst, but when she replied, her voice lacked its firmness, instead sounding confused and hesitant as she said, "But you said it couldn't do anything right now."

Yang opened her mouth to speak before Blake gave voice to her thoughts. "Why does it matter who carries it?"

Ozpin stepped forward, extending his hand. "I need you to listen to me-_nnh! Uhn!_" Abruptly, the headmaster cut himself off, grunting oddly as he froze in place.

"Oz?" Qrow asked from the side.

Surprisingly, however, it was Oscar's voice who spoke, sounding as if every word were an effort. "_Hhhhhurrrry. He's… trying to stop you!_" His fingers twitched as he fought for control of his body.

"Stop her from what?" Yang asked as the farmboy grunted.

"_He's afraid…_" Oscar grated out, "_you'll find… out… what he's… hiding!_" Still groaning, Oscar fell to his hands and knees, still fighting Ozpin for control. Team RWBY stared at him with mixed expressions of fascination, horror, and anger. Blake went so far as to lift a tentative hand to Gambol Shroud; Yang had her feet braced and her hands clenched.

"_Her name… is Jinn,_" Oscar managed weakly, his entire body trembling. "_Say her name… to summon her…_"

The wind picked up, sending chilling gusts through the group that blew their hair in waving ribbons. "Her name?" Ruby repeated softly, staring down at the Relic in her hands. The orb within glowed brightly, the blue light reflected in the young Huntress's silver eyes. "Jinn?" she said.

Everything stopped.

In an instant, the wind went silent, the clearing empty of the howling that had filled it a moment before. Snowflakes paused in midflight, hanging in the air in defiance of gravity's grasp. Ironically, the snowy landscape had completely frozen, save for the seven figures in the clearing.

The girls, Qrow and Maria all looked around stunned. "What?" the Huntsman murmured in astonishment. Ruby's eyes were drawn from the frozen world to the Relic in her hands as it began to softly vibrate in her grasp. The orb within grew brighter as the lamp's vibration grew stronger, and as Ruby watched in amazement, the Relic floated from her hands of its own accord and began to spew a thick, blue smoke the same color as the orb.

The Relic floated behind her as the others also noticed its activity, everyone staring in wonder as it levitated in the air before them. More smoke began to escape the lamp as it started spinning, the cyan cloud thickening into a blue haze. Before the gathering's unbelieving gaze, a figure began to emerge from the smoke, features defining themselves slowly: translucent hair so deeply navy it bordered on black flipped in the wind like a curtain; golden jewelry formed bracelets, anklets, and a chain around the figure's waist; long, elven ears extended above golden hoop earrings. Head to toe, the figure was the same color as the smoke and utterly lacking of clothing, but despite being noticeably feminine, from below the neck, the being was devoid of features, the skin of her breasts, stomach, and legs completely smooth.

Eyes closed, the woman stretched with a moan, as if just awakening from a long, deep slumber. Her lips, the same deep navy as her hair, widened into a smile as she opened her piercing blue eyes and said, "Wonderful."

Speechless, Team RWBY stared at the woman, easily more than twice their size, in awe. Eyes gleaming with playful mirth, the being leaned forward and placed her chin in her hand. "Tell me," she asked, "what knowledge do you seek?"

* * *

**Mistralian Underworld, Mistral**

The drizzle hadn't stopped since Cinder had emerged from the Vault cavern; if anything, the rain had only intensified. Gazing out from the alleyway, she watched as the citizens of Mistral walked about the streets with umbrellas overhead to shield them from the storm. Cinder herself hid from the rain in the alley, wishing there were some way she could stay dry; her long freeze beneath Haven a prominent and unpleasant memory, she had exchanged her clothes for those of the woman she had encountered outside of the cavern and hidden the body off the trail. The loose, yellow-brown robe fit well on her form, and a stolen bundle of bandages served as a sufficient camouflage wrapping for her Grimm arm.

Beside her, a small, recorded voice said, "_The perpetrators, Cinder Fall, Hazel Rainart, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black have still not been seen since the attack and are presumed to have fled the city. The Mistral police department is offering a reward to any citizen…_" Cinder turned and saw the source of the voice, a wanted poster displaying the names and faces of herself and her cohorts, as well as Adam Taurus. Below their faces, a box displayed the words _Last Known Location: Haven Academy, Approximately One Month Ago._

The brief spike of shock at how long she had been frozen in the pool was washed away by Cinder's larger and more immediate realization: the public knew who she was. At Beacon and in the months following the Fall, she had had the blessing of anonymity, with only a select handful of students-specifically, Ruby Rose and her friends-knowing her identity and her role in the attack. Now, however, she was a wanted woman. Not only had her failure at Haven cut her off from Salem's faction, it had also allowed the wretched reaper and her companions to broadcast Cinder's name to Mistral, and though the CCTT was still down, word wouldn't take long to spread to the rest of Remnant.

Scowling at the revelation, Cinder's mind snapped into focus once more. _Ruby._

All of Cinder's problems had started with that little pest, from the moment they had first fought in Vale's CCT Tower. The girl and her friends had been a thorn in Cinder's side for far too long, and the Spring Maiden would stand for it no longer. Pulling up her hood to disguise herself from the crowd, Cinder strode out into the rain.

Thunder rumbled overhead as the drops pattered down, once again leaving Cinder soaked. What she wouldn't give for one of the umbrellas being wielded around her, but she couldn't afford to make a scene, even here, where such sights were common. Besides, she didn't have time to waste with thugs. She was looking for something particular…

Holding her hood close to her face, Cinder's eyes scoured the buildings as she walked, searching for the sign Emerald had mentioned. In preparation for the attack on Haven, Cinder had had Emerald and Mercury search the criminal underworld for any information that could be useful for the plan or might prove problematic. The pair had had little to show for their search, but Emerald had made passing mention to a gang that had caught her interest, the Spiders.

According to Emerald, the gang was made up of men and women alike and worked as an enforcer and brokering organization. Hits, robberies, bodyguards, information, stolen goods, and all other sorts of criminal activities; all jobs were accepted by the Spiders. The gang had three bars in the underbelly where they would meet with clients or induct new members, each marked by their gang sign. Finally, Cinder saw the mark. On a wooden post supporting the porch roof of a small bar was an elegantly carved engraving of a spider in its web. Cinder's eyes travelled up to the bar's sign. _The Widowmaker._ The Fall Maiden rolled her eyes but nonetheless walked into the seedy establishment.

Inside was far warmer than the chill of the rain. Lit dimly by a series of lanterns hanging from the walls, The Widowmaker's interior displayed a collection of tables, most surrounded by a number of suspicious individuals as they talked over drinks. Cinder allowed her eyes to drift over the customers until she caught sight of a woman in the corner flanked by two guards. Clad in a white and purple dress, the woman held a spoon in her hand as she prepared to eat a small cup of ice cream and berries set before her. What caught Cinder's eyes was the tattoo visible on her left shoulder, displaying the same spider design as the carving on the post outside.

"That's far enough," the woman said as Cinder approached, observing her coolly with ice blue eyes. The two guards, also wearing purple, stepped around the table with their arms crossed menacingly.

Cinder's mind flashed briefly to how easy dealing with this duo would be with her powers, but she quickly waved the thought aside, as not only would it be too conspicuous, but it was hardly a way to get information. Instead, she reached into one of the deep sleeves of her robe and pulled out a small, heavy purse. She tossed it onto the table, where it fell open to reveal some of the Lien cards within.

Upon seeing the money, the pudgy woman behind the table grinned. "Okay," she permitted. The guards backed off a step and allowed Cinder to pull out the chair and take her seat. The Spring Maiden took in her hostess. Short blond hair that didn't reach her shoulders, a thin line of pink lipstick on her mouth, and a broad frame. Clearly, based on the attentive guards, she commanded some measure of respect, but still, Cinder couldn't help but be a little bit skeptical. "_You're _Lil' Miss Malachite?" she said sardonically.

Malachite frowned and whipped out a small hand fan. "I'm Lil' Miss-Gon-Skin-You-Alive if you ever take that tone with me again," she shot back. Waving the fan absently, she glanced down at the purse Cinder had thrown. "Looks like your life savings."

Ruefully, Cinder smirked. "It was somebody's"

Lil' Miss gave a chuckle. "Cute," she said, closing the fan. Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want for it?"

_Finally, business. _Cinder produced her Scroll and displayed pictures of Teams RWBY and JNPR from the Vytal Festival Tournament nearly a year prior. "I'm looking for these travelers," she said simply. If it had been a month since the failed attack on Haven, then it was likely that Ruby and the other children had already made their next move to protect the Relic.

Lil' Miss grinned. "Well, sweetheart, you came to the right place."

There came a shout from behind Cinder, who gasped and quickly turned to watch a man striding in through the main entrance and boisterously joining a group of friends at the table. Malachite gave an amused giggle, eliciting a glare from Cinder.

"A little jumpy today, hmm?" the mob boss commented. Behind her, the man and woman exchanged grins at Cinder's paranoia. "Y'know, _I _used to be afraid of spiders. Want to know what I did about it?"

Cinder stared hard at the woman. If something caused you fear, it was either a threat to be dealt with or a superior to be respected. "Learned to kill them?" she replied darkly.

"Oh, no," Lil' Miss reassured, "the world needs spiders." She gestured to the occupants around them. "I just made the spiders work for me."

A small sense of self-security leaked from Cinder's expression as she glanced around the bar. She had assumed that at least some of the patrons had been gang members; Malachite would have been a fool to not have some of her criminal backup on hand. However, what stunned Cinder was that, on some part of their body, every single customer had the same spider tattoo as the woman before her. The establishment was crawling with them.

Evenly, she brought her gaze back to Lil' Miss. She understood the underlying meaning of the words. While the woman wasn't quite sure who Cinder was, she understood that not only was she likely dangerous, but that she was hiding from something, be it the authorities or something else. Lil' Miss knew that her client was a threat, and she had just demonstrated that she could deal with that threat without lifting a finger of her own. Even with her Maiden power, Cinder wasn't sure if she could take on the entire gang at once without alerting the authorities or simply being overwhelmed.

Malachite saw the understanding in her eyes and smiled. "Give us a week. We'll find your travellers."

Without another word, Cinder stood from the table, leaving the purse where it had fallen, and turned to walk away, ducking back out into the rain to find somewhere to hole up until her information was ready.

Lil' Miss Malachite watched the woman go, a slight smirk playing on her face. Beside her, her female bodyguard, Auburn, waited until Cinder was outside and out of earshot before pointing out in confusion, "Lil' Miss, we already know where they are. That big guy asked about 'em last week."

Malachite held up a hand to silence the girl. The young guard reminded her in so many ways of her two nieces in Vale, never looking at the big picture. Everyone had a price on someone, and more often than not, those who came to her had another on their own head. "I know we know," she replied, "_but_ what we don't know is who here in Mistral might be asking about _her_."

* * *

**Argus Limited Railway, Kingdom of Mistral**

There were no words.

No one could muster up the will to say anything, struck dumb by the awesome and abrupt appearance of the being from the lamp. The most anyone did was Maria tapping on her goggles to make sure she was seeing what she believed she was seeing.

The woman, if she could truly be called that, spread her hands before herself and introduced, "I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years." Jinn's smile widened, as if she were pleased at finally being called upon again. "You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"

"_That's enough!_"

In the silence, Ozpin's voice was like a gunshot as it cut off Jinn. As if remembering for the first time what had happened before Ruby had said Jinn's name, the girls, Maria, and Qrow turned towards Ozpin, who had regained control from Oscar. Jinn, though a bit put off by the interruption, finished, "-two questions this era."

The headmaster bowed his head as if in defeat. Ruby stared at his small form, eyes wide and mouth agape, still shocked by the turn in events. Blake was similarly stunned, while both Yang and Weiss's expressions began to curl into anger.

He had lied.

Ozpin had lied to them since Beacon, since Qrow had found him in Mistral, since Yang and Weiss has both joined Team RNJR, since barely one week prior when he had told them all of the lamp's questions had been used, and he was clearly still lying right now. There were still secrets, secrets so dark and so deeply buried that Oscar had tried to wrest control from him to warn them.

Beside them, Qrow stared at his old friend with the same disbelief as his niece, clearly also taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of this sprite from the lamp. It seemed that Jinn alone remained unaffected by these sudden revelations. If Ozpin's outburst had annoyed her, she did not show it; rather, she chuckled and greeted with a voice of old familiarity, "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man."

Ozpin's hands curled into fists, clutching futilely at the snow. "Ruby, please." He lifted his head and pleaded with his eyes. "Don't."

Qrow regarded him for a moment and began to step toward the girls. "Hey-"

As one, Weiss, Blake and Yang reached toward their weapons, scowling at the Huntsman. Despite all of their history, Qrow had been Ozpin's lieutenant and closest confidant for as long as they could remember, and they weren't willing to take any chances at the moment. Behind them, Ruby flinched at the action but said nothing, unsure of what was about to unfold.

Qrow stared at the tip of Myrtenaster, held inches from his chest, and held up both hands slowly. Addressing Ruby, he said, "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo."

Ruby thought for a moment, her eyes narrowing. Ozpin had been kind to her from the beginning, admitting her to the school early and assuring her of her ability to lead, but the more she thought of what she had learned since the Fall of Beacon, the more everything seemed like a manipulation. Ozpin, keeping a Silver-Eyed Warrior close at hand as a weapon against Salem; deliberately misleading the people of Remnant by keeping the truth of the gods, the relics, and Salem a secret; and even when being confronted, clearly still holding back information. Yang's words from earlier echoed back through her mind: "_No more lies and half-truths._" Words that had done nothing to keep Ozpin from hiding the truth yet again. And now, before her, there stood a way to finally know the truth with no omissions, no hidden details, and no way for Ozpin to stop her.

Knitting her brow in determination, Ruby said, "Jinn." She turned back to the genie, her teammates relaxing their tensed, combat-ready stances as she did so but still facing Qrow. Jinn looked down at her with mild amusement, awaiting her question, while Ozpin stared at her back, teeth clenched. Ruby took a deep breath and met Jinn's eyes. "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

"_**NOOO!**_"

Ruby turned with a gasp as Ozpin shouted and spang to his feet, sprinting forward with a desperate lunge too quickly for her teammates to react. Instinctively, Ruby recoiled and ducked away as he neared her, before an immense, all consuming silence, even greater than when Jinn had first emerged, obliterated anything else. When Ruby stood still for a moment and Ozpin still hadn't bowled her over, she opened her eyes to see what had happened.

The sight that met her was terrifying. Where before there had been a snowswept forest clearing with her friends and uncle, now there was nothing, an empty, vast expanse of white with no beginning and no end. Ruby looked around and saw that she was alone, her friends nowhere to be seen. "Wh-Wha-?" she stammered, her voice echoing strangely in the void. "Weiss? Yang?" she called.

Eyes darting around, Yang stared into the emptiness, also alone. "Blake! Ru-"

"-by! Ruby?" Weiss cried, cupping her hands, as if Ruby would hear her if she were louder.

"Yang?" Blake called, Faunus ears flicking warily.

"_Once upon a time_," came Jinn's voice. At Blake's feet blew a wave of smoke, and as it passed, the blank canvas of white became a road of gold, rusty bricks surrounded on both sides by a wide expanse of green grass. Blake turned and watched in amazement as the blue smoke formed a large castle in the distance. The sky became a cloudless, baby blue behind the spires of the fortress, and axes littered the sides of the road, sticking up from the grass.

Qrow listened as Jinn continued, "…_there stood a lonely tower, that sheltered a lonely girl…" _He turned and watched as from the smoke emerged a brown dresser with a large mirror. Seated at a small bench before the dresser was a young woman clad in a pale pink and white dress. The woman had both hands raised to her blond hair as she fixed it in a bun and ponytail, then turned and gazed sadly at her hands.

Ruby approached the woman and noticed the melancholy in her eyes. Wondering why the woman was so sad, she almost missed as Jinn finished softly, "_named… Salem."_

**Author's Note: Alright, guys, I think that this one got us all. I had never given any credence to the lover scorned theory of Salem and Ozpin, but boy was I wrong. My first words after seeing this were: *gaping mouth***

**This was a fantastic reveal, and it finally broke the cracking bridge of trust the characters had had with Ozpin since the beginning of the show. Well done, Kerry and Miles! - Jek**


	78. The Lost Fable

**Chapter Three: The Lost Fable**

The words almost didn't register at first. With as bombarded by the sudden sensory and information overload as she was, Ruby could barely put together a coherent thought. Before her eyes, the lone dresser was soon confined within a cozy, yet somehow melancholy, room. However, as she watched the blond woman stride to the lone window and gaze sadly to the sunshine beyond, Ruby fully understood what Jinn had said.

Salem. The shadowy secret enemy who had organized the Fall of Beacon and the attack on Haven, who had plunged the world into panic, who had apparently been dueling with Ozpin for millenia… now stood before her in the form of a lonely girl. Ruby's mind flashed back to the hallucination Emerald had conjured up at Haven: a demonic, nightmarish being with eyes that glowed with red fire and lifeless, white skin that crawled with purple veins, utterly devoid of any semblance of humanity.

This girl who stood before her was no such monster. This Salem had fair skin and dazzling blue eyes that regarded the room with a mixture of earnest longing and sorrow. There was none of the malice or terror conveyed by Emerald's apparition, but rather, a soft, tender creature held in confinement, a caged bird who looked as if she wished to sing but had forgotten how.

As Salem walked back to her dresser and sat once more, Ruby started as Jinn's voice echoed in the air, "_Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing: freedom. She lived in a time when kings and their kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness and magic was a gift from the gods that all could wield." _Ruby watched in astonishment as Salem absently lifted a hand and summoned up a swirling vortex of colors that glowed with power, seemingly effortlessly. However, Salem paid the feat no mind and simply gave a small sigh. "_And yet, there she sat within her tower."_

Before Qrow's eyes, the maiden and her prison disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke, reforming into the large castle where she lay trapped. Qrow gazed at the large fortress in wonder, but then turned as Jinn said, "_Until one day, a legendary hero came to brave the challenges within the tower's walls._" In another puff of smoke, a man appeared before Qrow, clad in a valiant green tunic and engraved metal armor. In his left hand he held a scepter topped by a green jewel, and his face was firm and virtuous. "_The people of the land knew him as Ozma." _Hesitantly, Qrow waved his hand before the young warrior's face, but Ozma's jaw remained set and his gaze did not waver from the tower as he strode forward, his form passing through Qrow's hand with a brief puff of smoke.

The scene shifted before Weiss's eyes to show Ozma in different states of battle with the guards of the castle, eventually squaring off with the leader, Salem's cruel father.

"_Unlike those who had come before him_," Jinn went on, "_this warrior was not driven by the prize of the young maiden's hand. He fought only for righteousness, and his pure heart and courageous soul prevailed._" With a mighty blow, Ozma struck down the evil father, Weiss watching as he hurried up the stairs of the tower and burst into Salem's room.

Salem stood in surprise at the knight's unexpected entry, a smile coming across her face as she quickly followed him into the rest of the castle. Together, the duo used their magic to best the remaining guards, then, Ozma pulled Salem by the hand as they both fled the castle, laughing and panting together from the adventure. "_They escaped the wretched fortress,_" Jinn provided, "_and yet, something bound them together. Ozma had been ready to give his life for justice countless times, but now saw a woman worth saving it for._" Ozma glanced to the woman he had rescued, clearly smitten as his smile reached his eyes. For her part, Salem looked to her savior with nothing short of adoration, the warrior's love mirrored by her own heart. "_And Salem, to her surprise, found her freedom not in the outside world she had yearned for, but in the eyes of the man that had saved her._"

A slight breeze blowing the grassy plains at her feet, Salem asked Ozma, "So, where should we go now?"

The young knight smiled wider and offered her his hand. "Wherever you'd like." Their surroundings melted away around them, leaving the two lovers alone in the white void as Jinn told, "_The two fell deeply in love, planned adventures around the world, and lived happily ever after. Or at least,_" she continued as Salem and Ozma faded away, "_that's what should have been._"

The scene changed before Weiss again to one of heartbreak. In a bleak bedroom, Salem knelt beside a bed, weeping as she desperately clasped the hand of the man she loved. Ozma, lacking his armor, was nestled beneath the blankets, eyes shut and hand limp in Salem's. "_Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed._" In a gentle puff of smoke, Ozma's body disappeared, the blanket falling flat on the bed where he had rested. Salem was devastated, sobbing as she clutched to the emerald-topped staff, the last remaining piece of her love.

"How?" Salem whispered in a quivering voice. "How could the gods let this happen?"

"_The gods. Brothers of light and darkness, creation and destruction._" Blake's eyes were drawn above her to two orbs rotating in the air over her head, one black and dark, the other glowing with warm, golden light. "_Salem prayed they would see the injustice that had befallen her love and make things right._" The two orbs touched and the bedroom vanished in a brilliant burst of light, replaced by a wide path that led to a set of stairs carved into the side of a mountain. All around, as far as the eye could see, the grass was a beautiful gold, almost the color of grain; in the distance, tall mountains served as sleepy guard to the realm. At the base, a small monument was constructed, a building with sloping, pagoda-esque roofs that housed the golden image of a man with antlers sprouting from his head.

"_The Domain of Light was a sacred place_," Jinn explained. "_It was here the elder brother dwelled beside his fountain of life and creation._" Weiss watched as Salem approached the stairs, gently placing a bouquet of purple lilacs at the base of the staircase as an offering. Then, Ozma's scepter in hand, Salem determinedly began her ascent. "_It was here… where mankind would fall to ruin._"

From the top of the staircase, Salem beheld a breathtaking view. The mountain stretched into a bowl around her, creating a steep valley at the bottom of the second flight of stairs covered in the same golden grass at the base of the mountain. Far below her sat the fountain where the God of Light dwelled, a massive pond bordered on all sides by rock. At its rear stood a magnificent tree whose leaves stretched out across the fountain like a protective guardian for the tranquil waters.

Salem looked down at the staff in her hands, her mind travelling to Ozma's eyes and smile, before she continued her journey into the valley. As she approached the fountain, a presence appeared to notice her arrival. A gust of wind blew out from the tree, whipping up a stream of its golden leaves. The leaves blew out over the water and circled around a point towards the front. The waters beneath the leaves began to glow with light, and as Salem drew near, a being rose out of the fountain.

The being had the body of a man, but towered over Salem by far and glowed with the same brilliant gold light as the grass and the leaves. Unlike Jinn, he was completely featureless, lacking even eyes, mouth, and hair. However, from his head sprouted a magnificent pair of antlers, far greater than those of the mightiest stag. As he emerged, he appeared to walk forward on the surface of the water, barely even disturbing it with a ripple.

Desperately, Salem dropped to her knees before the God of Light as he drew near to her. Ruby watched her in awe as she begged, "Please… Please bring him back to me."

The God of Light regarded her with what seemed like pity. "I understand your pain," he said in a soft, firm voice, "but you demand of me that which I cannot make so." He raised his hands before him and clasped them together. "Life and death are part of a delicate balance."

Salem stared at him numbly, his refusal incomprehensible. "So… you won't do it then?" she murmured aloud.

The god's gaze was unwavering. "To disrupt the cycle of-"

"But that's not fair," she replied. Standing, she glared at the being and shouted indignantly, "That's not _fair!_" Her cry echoed off the walls of the valley.

In the moment of silence after Salem's echo had died away, the God of Light's smooth face made his expression indiscernible, but there was no mistaking his sternness as he commanded her a moment later, "Let. Him. Rest."

Overhead, a small rumble of thunder was heard as the wind once more picked up. The leaves blew in their golden storm again, and before Salem's pleading gaze, the fountain vanished. With a start, she looked around and found herself back at the mountain's base, her council with the brother ended.

However, the maiden was unsatisfied with the answer. "No," she whispered harshly in reply. She had come before the God of Light and humbly made her request, and he had denied her… but that did not mean that her quest had been futile. For another yet existed who might grant her desire: the younger brother.

* * *

"_The God of Darkness._" Jinn's words held no small measure of menace as Yang watched the scene shift from the bright, airy field at the base of the mountain to a much more sinister plateau. The ground was barren rock colored a dull pink, and here and there jutted up from the rock large, dark purple crystals that glowed. Overhead, the sky was crimson where it met the tips of distant, craggy cliffs.

Yang watched with trepidation as Salem approached another staircase, this one curving upward and out of sight around a bend. At the foot of the steps lay the skeletal remains of some other traveller, a sword held between its bare ribs left as a grisly warning to any who dared approach the younger brother's domain.

"_None dared to enter his home_," Jinn continued, "_as men knew what monstrosities emerged from his blackened pools of annihilation._" Salem paled at the body, but with a quick glance to the staff in her hands to steel herself, she looked back to the stairs and began her ascent.

The blue smoke enveloped Yang's vision, and when it cleared, she watched Salem kneel before another pond. However, unlike the fountain of the God of Light, this pond was filled with a wretched, tar-like substance that bubbled occasionally and was ringed by a series of jagged, rocky spikes. "_And so you must understand the Dark Lord's surprise when he found a lone woman kneeling before him._"

From within the black mire, there slowly emerged a twisting, contorting shape of a man with two curling horns like that of a ram on his head. The being shimmered with a slight purple fire as it convulsed, bending backward spinelessly to gaze at its visitor upside down. Yang gasped at the terrifying, twitching form, but Salem remained steadfast as the God of Darkness crawled towards her like some warped creature, arms twisted unnaturally in their sockets and head still gazing at her upside down as he approached.

Around the rocky crater, a crowded assortment of Grimm had gathered as their lord emerged for his unexpected audience with the visitor. The god straightened at last into a natural position as Salem began to speak.

"_Salem understood it well_," Jinn recounted. "_She told him of her loss and professed that she knew only he could answer her prayers, all while careful to make no mention of his elder._"

When Salem had finished her request, the God of Darkness gazed at her with something resembling pleasant surprise. "Rise, child," he bade her in a deep voice, "and let your faith in me be rewarded." Salem did as he commanded, and the god summoned up his power in a purple cloud before her. When the cloud of magic cleared, Ozma hovered there, the same as the last day she had seen him swaddled in his sickbed. Limply, her love fell to the ground, and Salem rushed to his side. For a moment, she was almost sure that something was wrong when he lay still and silent, but her fears were replaced with joy when he suddenly gasped for breath and looked around in terror at his sudden reawakening.

"Where am I?" he cried, panting as he took in the Domain of Darkness. "What is this?! _W-Where am I?!_"

"It's okay!" Salem soothed him, overjoyed as she pulled him close to her. "Everything's going to be okay!" For the briefest of moments, her soul knew peace as she held him in her arms.

There was a rumble of thunder and a flash of golden light. "_What have you done?_"

Salem, Ozma, and the God of Darkness all looked to the entry of the crater at the words. There, looking so out of place in the demonic and desolate surroundings, stood the God of Light, his brow furrowed and his voice tight with accusation as his nonexistant stare fixed on his sibling.

Salem's eyes widened in fear at his sudden arrival, reflexively hugging Ozma's weak form tighter to herself as the God of Darkness replied cavalierly, "I have done what I please, brother." He gestured to the resurrected warrior. "You may bask in the powers of creation, but you do not own them."

The elder brother gestured also. "_This _is not creation," he rebuked.

The younger's brow curled in anger, his voice echoing around the crater, "_Do not lecture me!_" Sensing his agitation, the collected Grimm began to growl and screech, circling close to the heated exchange.

The God of Light regarded the monsters with no fear. "I will do what I must to maintain order," he stated firmly. With that, he raised his hand toward Ozma. Both the hand and Ozma began to glow with golden light, and even as Salem panicked at the realization of what was about to happen, Ozma dissolved into dust in her arms and was blown away on the wind.

"_No! __**No!**_ What did you do?!" she cried frantically. "Bring him _back!_"

Furious at the bold display, the God of Darkness roared at his brother, "You _dare_ enter my domain and show such _**disrespect!**_" With a flick of his wrist, purple magic returned Ozma to Salem's arms as she cried out his name in relief.

The God of Light replied with righteous anger, "I am abiding by the rules _we_ agreed upon!"

"Rules that I now see are ever in _your _favor," spat his brother as he began to approach, the purple fire growing thicker around his form. He writhed as he approached, a pair of leathery wings and a long tail beginning to sprout from his back as his curved, ram horns grew larger. "And yet the day a mortal comes to pray at _my _feet before your own, so do _you _arrive to lay your judgement upon me!" The purple fire dissipated, and where something resembling a man had stood, there was now a monstrous dragon that roared ferociously at the God of Light.

Salem looked on in terror at the transformation, even as the gathered Grimm acted on their master's emotion and sprang forward to attack the God of Light. However, the elder brother repelled them in a flash of white light, the Grimm vaporized before the younger's eyes. When the light faded, the God of Light had also morphed into a dragon, his thin-bodied and oriental in contrast to the deathly skull and ragged wings of his brother.

In a deeper, booming voice, the God of Light reasoned to his brother, "I know we have our differences, but I have not come here with the aim to control you. The same, however, cannot be said for her," he gestured to Salem. "This woman came to you _only _after I denied her pleas-pleas that would have disrupted the balance that you and I created. Together."

The other dragon appeared to contemplate the revelation. "Then it seems," the God of Darkness replied a moment later, "I owe you an apology." His empty eye sockets fixed on Ozma and Salem. "Allow me to correct my mistake."

The God of Darkness reared back, even as Salem threw herself over Ozma with a futile, "No!" From the dragon's mouth streamed a purple fire of destruction that engulfed the lovers. However, when the blaze ceased, Salem was unscathed… and alone.

Once more clutching at ash with her fingers, Salem's voice trembled as she shouted, "You… You _monsters!_ Give him back to me; give him back!" She rose to her feet, her emotions fueling her actions as she summoned up a storm of magic. However, before she could begin to cast her spells, the God of Light shot toward her, maw opened wide. Salem barely had time for a surprised gasp before everything went dark.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open, tears streaming upward through the air as the wind whistled in her ears. With a cry, she realized that she was falling, and as she turned she saw that she was headed for a pool of water. With a loud splash, she sank into the depths, bubbles escaping her mouth as the impact forced the air from her lungs.

Before she could begin to claw her way to the surface, a strange, drowsy peace settled over her. Her frantic cry became a weak whimper as the urge to swim subsided. An odd tingling shimmered across her body, making her limbs feel heavy and yet light at the same time. Her eyelids drooped, then began to fall shut, before a strong force seized her and brought her to the surface.

Salem landed roughly in the shallows of the pond, dimly aware that it was the fountain of the God of Light, and coughed as she expelled the water from her lungs. Before she could properly get her bearings, a voice spoke.

"When you first came to me," said the God of Light, "I did pity you. But it is clear now that your selfishness and arrogance have led you astray."

Salem stood unsteadily to her feet and realized that both gods stood together, watching her flounder in the fountain. Something felt… strange. Different, in an unsettling way. "What did you do to me?" she asked fearfully, looking down at the strange shimmer that covered her hands.

The god's reply was simple, yet astounding. "I have made you immortal."

"_Immortal?_" Salem repeated in awed confusion.

The God of Darkness provided her explanation. "You cannot die. You cannot be with your beloved."

Together, the brothers gave their decree. "So long as this world turns, you will walk its face." Salem stared at them in horror and dread. This was a fate worse than death, a sentence too cruel for any man, and yet, there was no sympathy or compassion from the brothers, but merely their tranquil judgement.

The God of Light spoke a final time. "You must learn the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest."

Salem reached out, unsure if she meant to beg for mercy or forgiveness, but before her eyes, the fountain and the gods were whisked away. The maiden found herself in a small meadow guarded by a bleak gray sky, completely alone.

"_Salem was a prisoner once again,_" said Jinn. Ruby, who had remained spellbound throughout the story thus far, witnessed the scene change before her as Jinn continued, "_Her fruitless attempts to reunite with Ozma eventually became nothing more than acts of spite and defiance against the gods._" Ruby watched as Ozma's bedroom came into focus, Salem's shadow on the wall before her. Before she could turn, she gasped in horror as the shadow stabbed itself through the stomach with a sword with a groan of pain, but then removed the sword and straightened. Hesitantly, Ruby turned to see Salem wincing from the pain.

However, Salem's cringe suddenly morphed into a face of thoughtful craftiness. "_But perhaps the gods were not as powerful as they seemed. She had lied to them, turned them against one another, they… were fallible_." Salem strode to the window of the cottage and gazed into the distance, where a proud castle stood on the horizon. "_If she could turn humanity against light and darkness, she could rid herself of their curse… or at the very least, she could make them suffer._"

Whirling, Salem hurled the sword at the wall and, inadvertently, at Ruby, who gave a frightened yelp before the scene disappeared before her eyes, replaced by a throne room and a startled king standing in wonder from his throne. Before him stood Salem, who tossed a bloody axe to the ground before him. "_Salem traveled from one kingdom to another, telling tales of how she stole immortality from the gods, welcomed any swordsman to cut her down, and demonstrated her powers._" The image shifted to numerous other kingdoms and numerous other rulers, all in awe of Salem's power. "_With the kings and queens in awe, she pulled them deeper into her scheme. She painted them pictures of a time when they would no longer have to watch their loved ones wither and die, when they could claim the powers of their creators for themselves, and in turn, perfect their own design._" The rulers fell in line behind Salem, pledging themselves and their warriors to her cause.

"_All they needed to do was destroy their old masters._"

Her army formed, Salem led the combined forces of several kingdoms to the

Realm of Light. The warriors stormed the staircase with battle cries and weapons held high, filling in the valley to await the gods appearance. Within moments, the brother deities appeared, both in their dragon forms, and surveyed the gathered army with shock and anger. "_The gods had hoped that Salem would learn from her eternal curse, and she did. She learned that the hearts of men are easily swayed._"

"Who has led you down this path?" the God of Light demanded. In response, Salem strode out from the ranks of the troops, fixing the gods with a gaze of utter contempt.

"You," the God of Darkness rumbled.

Salem didn't reply, instead unleashing a swath of magic toward the brothers. The

armies followed suit, those not using magic firing with bows and arrows. To the gathering's shocked dismay, however, the God of Darkness merely lifted a single, clawed limb and gathered the accumulated power in his palm. "My own gift to them," he mused, "used against me."

The God of Light looked away, as if aware of his brother's plan but wishing that there were some other way. The God of Darkness clenched the ball of magic tightly and squeezed it until it erupted in a volatile explosion of power. The destructive force radiated out from its origin across the surface of the planet, destroying all sentient life in its path.

Except one. Salem, held by the curse of immortality, had been thrown to the

ground by the blast, her forces vaporized before her eyes. "No," she murmured desolately, as if uttering it would make it so. "_No._"

The God of Darkness threw her back with a stamp of his taloned foot. Salem grunted as she tumbled hard to the ground; the god drew near to her and gazed at her from his bony sockets. "You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?" he asked.

Livid, Salem got back to her feet and seethed, "I'll come back. I'll tell the rest of the

world of this massacre, build a new army-"

"You do not understand," the dragon informed her. "There is _no one _left. You are all that remains of humanity."

As Salem took in the revelation with shocked horror, the God of Light lamented, "This planet… was a beautiful experiment. But it is merely a remnant of what it once was. We will learn from this failure." He stared meaningfully at Salem. "I hope that you will learn from yours."

With that, the golden dragon faded away, disappearing before Salem's eyes. "No!" she cried. "You can't leave! _You can't leave! __**Come back!**_"

The God of Darkness appeared wryly amused by her fuming orders. "Still demanding things of your creators?" With that, he gave a mighty flap of his wings and shot into the sky, rocketing out of the atmosphere. The moon overhead shone down with innocent white light, but the god didn't bother to avoid it, merely crashing through its surface and shattering it into fragments.

Salem, now stranded in her solitude, stared up at the broken moon overhead, and

felt as if she too had been physically shattered. Fiery fragments of lunar rock began to rain down to the earth around her, but they might as well have been nonexistant. Overcome by despair and anger Salem fell to her knees and screamed.

* * *

"_Once again, Salem was alone_." Team RWBY watched as Salem walked the face of Remnant, nearly mad with grief and loneliness. She wandered aimlessly, with no purpose or destination, passing through abandoned settlements and encountering the confused creatures of Grimm, without purpose now that humanity was no more. "_She cursed the gods, she cursed the universe, she cursed everything. Everything but herself. She wandered the face of the planet, awaiting a death that would never come… until fate led her back to the Land of Darkness._"

Salem arrived at the crater where the God of Darkness had dwelled and made her way to the tip of a sharp protrusion of rock. The fall below her led directly to the pit from which the god had emerged, surrounded by the deadly ring of spikes. "_This was it. This had to be it. The brother's Grimm, the pools of black that continued to give rise to horrific nightmares. If the fountain of life granted immortality,_" Salem closed her eyes in resignation and plummeted down into the vat of tar, "_then surely, the pools of Grimm would finally take it away._

"_She was wrong._"

Salem's eyes snapped open as the darkness within the oily pool began to

permeate her body. Snapped side to side by the devastating power of the pool, the woman's body was buffeted like a limp doll as the dark magic within sought vainly to obliterate her… and failed. "_This force of pure destruction could not destroy a being of infinite life._"

Ruby watched in terror as a pale, bone-white hand emerged from the pool and pulled its owner to the surface. Eyes burning like red coals against their own oily pools of black and hair and skin bleached a deathly pallor, the Salem that had etched herself into the young girl's nightmares since Haven emerged like an angel of death from the pool of destruction. "_Instead, it created a being of infinite life with a desire for pure destruction._"

Everything went black. Ruby could hear her heart beating rapidly in her ears as Jinn spoke again. "_And in time, she would find her adversary._"

* * *

The scene shimmered back into the white void once more before Team RWBY's eyes. However, they were no longer alone; before them lay the form of Ozma, eyes closed in peaceful serenity. The young warrior blinked in surprise and stood, trying to decipher his surroundings, before a deep voice called his name. He turned to find himself face to face with the golden dragon of the God of Light, who morphed back into his bodily form and stood before Ozma.

"Where… am I?" Ozma asked sluggishly, as if having just awoken from a deep sleep.

"We are between realms," the god replied. "I'm afraid a tragedy has befallen your home at the hands of my brother. We have chosen to depart this world, but in our absence, I would like to offer you the chance to return to it."

Ozma, understandably confused, replied tentatively, "I… don't understand."

"Mankind is no more," the brother provided, "yet your world remains. And in time, your kind will grow to walk its face again. However, without our presence, they will be but a fraction of what they once were." The god lifted his hand and summoned up four distinct objects: a sword, a scepter, a crown, and the now-familiar outline of the lamp of the Relic of Knowledge. Ruby's silver eyes widened at the sight of the other Relics as the god went on, "Creation, destruction, choice, and knowledge were the ideals upon which humanity was made. Now I leave them behind with the hope that you will learn to remake yourselves."

The four relics joined together in a burst of light as the God of Light went on, "If brought together, these four Relics will summon my brother and I back to your world, and humanity will be judged. If your kind has learned to live in harmony with one another and set aside their differences, then we shall once again live among you, and humanity will be made whole again. But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence. Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone."

Overwhelmed by the choice, Ozma fell to his knees as Oscar Pine watched from behind in awe, captivated by the origins of the 'curse' that had come to afflict him. However, Ozma had reached his decision. "I'm sorry," he replied, "but that world just isn't as dear to me without her. If I may, I'd rather return to the afterlife to see Salem."

"You will not find her there," replied the god.

Ozma's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean she isn't gone?"

The God of Light seemed to consider his words. "Salem lives, but the woman you hold dear in your memories _is_ gone. Heed this warning: where you seek comfort, you will only find pain." The brother allowed Ozma to process the words, then asked again, "So, will you-"

"I'll do it," Ozma said resolutely.

The God of Light cocked an eyebrow at the young man's eagerness, but nonetheless replied, "Very well. Our creation rests within your hands."

The god dissolved into a shower of golden petals, leaving Ozma alone before Ruby's vision went dark.

"_And so_," Jinn proclaimed, "_Ozma was reborn._"

* * *

As Ozma's consciousness returned, he looked down to his hands and found himself standing over a Beowolf and thrusting a pitchfork into its stomach. The beast dissolved before his eyes, but the man dropped the weapon in fear as he realized the sudden appearance of Ozma's foreign presence in his mind.

"_Where am I_?" Ozma demanded, equally frightened. Quickly, he took in his surroundings through the man's eyes, noticing a settlement engulfed in flames beyond the edge of the forest in which he stood. All around came the terrified cries of people fleeing the Grimm.

"Help! Please!" came a cry from nearby. Ozma's host turned and saw a man with a sword fighting another Beowolf, but the beast knocked him to the ground. Disarmed, the man cried out in fear as the Grimm prepared to devour him, and in that instant, Ozma forcibly took over, acting on pure instinct as he assumed control of the body he'd been deposited in and dashed forward to pick up the fallen sword. A quick series of slashes later and the monster dissolved where he'd impaled it on his blade.

A hand on his shoulder spun him around, and Ozma witnessed the man he'd

saved with standing behind him with a grateful smile. "Thank you!" the man cried. "Please, tell me your name. Who are you?"

Ozma opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came to his mind. Horrified, he threw down his sword and looked at his hands before turning and running from the confused man deeper into the woods. Oscar watched him with forlorn understanding. "He didn't know," the farmboy mused.

The blue smoke billowed up, rolling away to display Ozma walking through another village, this one intact and not under siege from the Grimm. Lining the streets here and there were vendors and booths with strange crystals, and to the reincarnated warrior's shock, cages in which people with animal traits were held captive.

"_Ozma had found himself in a world completely unfamiliar to him. Cities looked_

_different. Creatures known as the Faunus wore fangs and claws and were locked away in cages, and without the blessing of the gods, no one could perform magic like mankind was once capable of, no one but himself and a woman known as… the witch._"

In one moment, Ozma was walking through the village; the next, a cloud of smoke brought him into the wilderness and before a decrepit old shack with boarded-up or broken windows and old, faded paint. With noticeable trepidation, Ozma approached the desolate dwelling. "_During his years of travel, he heard the same frightened whispers that spoke of a terrifying sorceress who commanded dark powers in the wilds among the beasts and monsters. Ozma was convinced that this witch was Salem, and decided he needed to see what she had become_."

Seeing or perhaps sensing his presence somehow, the occupant of the cottage emerged, the door creaking as she strode into the bleak twilight. The woman's skin and hair were deathly white, her eyes blood red against pools of black. A long, black robe draped her body, and her face was twisted into a menacing scowl as she took in the sight of the newcomer.

However, upon studying the visitor, though Ozma's current form was that of a blond farmer, the witch's face softened into a surprised, disbelieving gasp of joy. Ozma smiled himself in recognition. "_Call it magic or call it something stronger, but in that moment, the two knew exactly who it was that stood before them_." Salem and Ozma both approached each other and intertwined their fingers as they shared the love and exuberance of their reunion.

"What do we do now?" Ozma asked her.

Salem smiled, recalling what he had told her the day they first met. "Whatever we like."

The scene shifted slightly as the sun appeared and blue smoke swept over the broken areas of the cottage until it was less a ramshackle, foreboding hut and more a warming home. Ozma and Salem sat at a small table on the porch and talked inaudibly as Jinn continued, "_As Salem and Ozma recounted the events which had brought them back together, each withheld parts of their story. Salem, fearing Ozma would reject her, blamed the end of the world on the gods. Ozma, still unsure of where the truth lay, kept his task and the Relics a secret. Though time passed and all seemed well, Ozma's conversation with the God of Light still lingered in his mind. He had found happiness, but humanity seemed more divided than ever before._"

The couple disappeared into the house, reappearing moments later in the small kitchen, each with a cup in hand. "Are you surprised?" Salem asked Ozma after he told her of the division he had noticed. "This world is quite literally godless. These humans have no one to guide them." She gazed down into her mug. "Perhaps that's all they need."

"What are you saying?" Ozma asked carefully, setting his cup on the counter.

Salem studied her glowing eyes in the surface of the drink. "We could become the gods of this world," she suggested. "Our powers surpass all others. Our souls transcend death. We can mold these lands into whatever we want, what _you _want!" She gazed at him lovingly. "Create the paradise that the old gods could not."

Ozma appeared uncertain, still held by his secret promise to the God of Light, but Salem's hand came reassuringly to his shoulder as she held his eyes with her own and smiled. He smiled back, still seeming reluctant but apparently agreeing. Ominously, Jinn said as she had before, "_The hearts of men are easily swayed_."

Smoke covered the two lovers, and when it cleared, the sight was familiar. A village came into view, the terrified townspeople running for their lives as a Nevermore swooped low to attack with an awful screech. However, before the beast could begin its killing, it was stopped in midair and held by some glowing, purple power. With pained squawking, the Grimm's body began to contort and bend, joints snapping wetly until the Nevermore's cries went silent and the crushed Grimm dissolved into the air.

In the Grimm's place rose the figures of Ozma and Salem, the latter now clad in an ornate blue robe, scepter in hand; both glowed with magical power. At the awesome display of power, the people were filled with wonder and almost instantly dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves before their saviors.

The void returned, displaying for the girls two large, stone statues, one of Ozma and one of Salem. "_The two amassed a following. That following grew into a prosperous kingdom._" A large castle appeared, beautifully tended with fortified walls. Within the stately family room, a painting of Ozma and Salem hung above the fireplace. "_And at the head of that kingdom blossomed… a family_." A puff of smoke added four small girls to the painting, and Ozma and Salem suddenly appeared with their daughters, the girls playing with each other and laughing together as their parents looked on with heartfelt pride.

* * *

Salem gazed down into her crystal ball, a relic from her time as the witch, and smiled darkly at a massive battle promising massacre within. Together, she and Ozma would bring peace to Remnant and rule the people justly and fairly. However, there were still other kingdoms in the world, smaller than theirs but resistant to being brought under subjugation. And so, they would need to be taught a lesson.

"Are we sure this is right?" came her love's voice. Salem turned to find him staring

uneasily at his feet on the other side of the study. He had become increasingly troubled since they had made their plans to wage war with the other kingdoms, and he was clearly still reluctant to go on with the plan.

"You said we needed to bring humanity together," she reminded him. "In order to do that, we have to spread our word." She smirked sinisterly. "And destroy those who will deny it."

Ozma, slightly shocked by the brutality of the words, looked away quickly to study his reflection. He still remembered his promise to the God of Light, pushed to the back of his mind by his love and devotion to Salem, but it burned like a hot coal in his conscience, brought to the surface by their recent plans.

"What are we doing?" his reflection asked. Startled, Ozma recoiled from the

window, his appearance flickering briefly before Ruby's eyes to that of his first incarnation, the young warrior with the pure heart, whose morals conflicted so greatly with the man he had become. "This isn't what he asked of me," he murmured.

Salem's eyes widened in suspicious surprise as she turned to him. "What did you say?" she began, before the doors to their study burst open.

One of their daughters, Madeleine, ran joyfully into the room. "Mother, father, look!" she exclaimed, hands outstretched. From her palms emerged a slew of swirling colors that danced over her head. "_It was a miracle. Their children could perform magic._" Both parents were stunned, but while Salem's face melted into loving pride, Ozma's held a new, wary cautiousness as he realized the terrible potential the revelation presented. "_But what should have been a joyous occasion was short-lived_."

The smoke wiped the girl from the room and leaned Salem against the desk while Ozma paced before her and began to recount his tale once more. "_Ozma told Salem everything, the true reason the God of Light had brought him back, the Relics that had been scattered around the world, and the day of judgement he had been told to prepare for._"

When he had finished his account, Salem appeared perturbed. "Don't you see?" she said. "None of that matters anymore. Why spend our lives trying to redeem these humans when we can replace them with what they could never be?" Ozma flinched at the words, withdrawing from her offered hand as he became truly aware for the first time of how twisted his love's view had become.

Blue smoke erased the study, the scene reappearing at night as Ozma quietly stole from his room and woke his daughters. Stealthily, he roused them and instructed them to be very quiet, that they were going on a trip and that their mother would join them later. The father led them out of their room, but his heart turned to ice as his youngest, clutching her doll, turned down the hall and said, "Mommy?"

Ozma turned and saw the woman he now feared where the woman he loved should have stood. Salem glared at him, hands curled into talons at her sides as she witnessed his treachery firsthand. The girls' smiles melted as they seemed to sense something wrong with the confrontation, but before Ozma could usher them away, Salem struck with her magic. Ozma thrust his scepter forward and repelled her power before responding in kind with his own. The millenia-stretching battle between the former lovers had begun.

The fighting stretched on, as fierce as it was brutal. Ozma and Salem seemed evenly matched, and when one appeared to get the upper hand, the other suddenly lashed out and struck back with renewed vigor. Team RWBY watched in horror as the castle began to buckle and ultimately collapsed from the sheer bombardments of magic upon its foundation. The kingdom would lay in ruins, the adherents to the cult scattered, by morning.

Amidst the wreckage of the castle, flames licked hungrily at a small, singed doll, the only remnant of the daughters, lost in the tower's collapse. Ozma clawed his way from the wreckage, trailing thick blood from mortal wounds as he gasped in pain. However, in the end, Salem's curse worked to her advantage, and the dark lady rose from the ashes without a scratch. Livid with hatred, she stormed to her former love and rolled him to his back with her foot, standing on his chest.

Despite her anger, she sounded hurt. Ozma couldn't tell through bleary, rapidly-darkening eyes, but he thought he saw tears swimming in her fiery orbs. "We finally had freedom," she whispered to him.

Ozma winced in pain and opened his mouth. "I-" However, Salem would have none of it, and with a surge of magic, everything went dark for the warrior as Ozma was incinerated to ash before her eyes.

* * *

Team RWBY, Qrow, and especially Oscar all watched, spellbound, as Jinn said, "_Thus began a long and painful cycle of death and rebirth for Ozma._" Before their eyes, they watched as Ozma reincarnated time and again as the eons passed. "_Some lives were spent in mourning. Many were spent attempting to forget it all. But no matter what, his mind would eventually turn back to the task he had been burdened with_." In his early incarnations, Ozpin was despondent, more than once turning to alcohol to try and drown his problems and wandering aimlessly across Remnant. However, as Jinn spoke, his later lives followed her words, showing determination as the man who would become Ozpin began to be forged. Some lives brought danger, others brought romance, still others nothing but despair, but Ozma kept his head high and his eyes looking forward, to the future. "_And as the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living _with _the souls with which he had been paired._

"_But no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt._" The group witnessed Ozpin in multiple lives, battling Grimm and protecting the people of Remnant like the noble knight he had originally been. "_If humanity were ever to stand a chance at being united, one thing was clear…_"

Ruby nodded in solemn understanding. "He had to destroy Salem," she murmured to herself.

Jinn continued as Ozma's host became an elderly man and began to work on a small, familiar cane that he had built, the one that Ozpin had wielded while headmaster of Beacon which had fallen to Oscar. "_Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the Relics._" The old man stored his cane away where a new incarnation, a young businessman, would find it years later. "_Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light._"

The scene shifted to show Ozma's most current reincarnation, clad in a suit and wielding the Relic of Knowledge. Jinn appeared before the businessman as he approached inquisitively. "Where are the other Relics?"

"_He asked me his questions…_"

"What powers do they possess?"

"_And though I gave him my answers…_"

"How do I destroy Salem?"

"_Not all of them were to his liking._"

Before Ozma, as Team RWBY watched, Jinn grinned and answered simply, "You can't."

Ozma seemed as shocked by the news as the girls, who all watched as he dropped to his knees in despair before them. Abruptly, the scene changed again, but rather than blue smoke falling across their vision, the gathering blinked their eyes to find themselves once more in the snowy forest clearing beside the derailed Argus Limited.

Before them knelt Ozpin, no longer Ozma, in Oscar's body, and before anyone could ask a question or make an accusation, the man closed his eyes, bowed his head into his hands, and wept.

**Author's Note: Currently my favorite chapter to have written and the longest both in the show and on paper by wordcount. The sheer volume of the data dump revealed in this chapter floored me upon my initial viewing, as I believe it did us all, and I can only hope I did it justice with this submission. Please enjoy, review, and share! - Jek**


	79. So That's How It Is

**Chapter Four: So That's How It Is**

Yang was the first to speak. "Salem can't be killed. You all heard her too, right?"

The wind was a desolate chorus of whispers, filling the void where the silence of Jinn's vision had been. Team RWBY wore a unanimous expression of contempt as they stared down at the former headmaster, kneeling in the snow.

Ozpin managed a glance up at the brawler, still crying. "I-"

"There was _so _much you hadn't told us!" Yang cut off. "How could you think that was okay?" she demanded furiously. Ozpin merely lowered his gaze uselessly, before Ruby's voice drew his attention.

"Professor," the reaper asked sternly, "what is your plan to defeat Salem?"

Emotions played across Ozpin's face, heartbreak, sorrow, desperation, before he finally settled on shame and replied softly, "I… don't have one."

The noise that escaped Qrow was a betrayed shout of pure rage. The Huntsman dashed forward, almost without thinking, and swung hard for Ozpin's face. The headmaster cried out from the blow as the force hurled him across the clearing to smack hard into a tree. Ozpin winced, staring at Qrow in shock.

There was no sympathy in the man's crimson eyes. "No one wanted me," Qrow said as he approached. His hands trembled and curled into fists again, though he didn't look at Ozpin. "I was cursed. I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world. I thought I was finally doing something good."

"But, you are!" Ozpin implored desperately.

Qrow wouldn't have it. Still looking away, he declared bitterly, "Meeting you was the worst luck of my life."

Stung but unable to protest, Ozpin remained silent for a moment, before he replied in a voice thick with emotion, "Maybe you're right." With that, his eyes glowed as he relinquished control of the body back to Oscar.

Oscar gasped and cringed as he brought a hand to his tender cheek, aching from Qrow's blow.

"What happened?" asked Ruby.

Oscar's voice was halting, as if he didn't quite understand himself. "He's… gone," he murmured.

Yang's temper flared hotly. "That _bastard!_" she shouted as she stepped forward to demand, "Tell him we're not done yet!"

Oscar looked up at her pleadingly. "No! This is different. He's _gone!_" The farmboy struggled for words. "It… it's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?" He groaned and gripped his temples tightly. "_Gaahh! I hate this! I want it to stop!_"

"He just _left _us?" Weiss repeated incredulously.

"What are we gonna do now?" Blake asked fearfully.

"_Enough!_"

Everyone fell silent and turned at Maria's voice. In all the confrontations and sudden emotions, they had forgotten she was there. From the back of the group, she ambled forward with assistance from her skull-handled cane. "We need to get a move on," she continued. "It'll be dark before we know it and every one of you is spewing negativity." Nearing Oscar, she extended her cane and helped him to his feet, then turned and pointed to an open section of the clearing. "There's a trail over there," she remarked as she turned back to the group. "Trails usually lead somewhere."

Already volatile from her beration of Ozpin, Yang began angrily, "Lady, I don't know who you think you are, but-"

Maria tapped her cane firmly in the snow, her goggles narrowing as she interrupted, "No _buts_! I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's _second _time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!"

No one replied for a moment, Maria's authority surprising all. However, a moment later, Ruby nodded in agreement. "She's right. Come on." They could work out their issues with Ozpin later. For now, they needed to find somewhere safe.

The small party split up to gather their belongings and spare dust. Yang managed to excavate Bumblebee from the snow and allowed Maria the seat, walking alongside to steer. Ruby approached Oscar, who seemed a shell of his former self, and offered Ozpin's cane, which she'd found near where the Relic had landed.

Oscar hesitated accepting the cane. "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?" he murmured despairingly.

Ruby covered his hand with her own and offered him the best smile she could. "Of course not," she replied. "You're your own person."

"Don't lie to him, Ruby," came her uncle's voice from behind. Ruby and Oscar both looked to see Qrow lifting his flask to his lips as he began following the girls and Maria. "We're better than that."

Oscar took the cane and turned to follow Qrow as Ruby brought up the rear, both dejected by the Huntsman's words and wondering how things could get any worse.

* * *

**Salem's Fortress, Domain of Darkness**

The airship knifed swiftly through the air, startling a flock of Nevermores perched atop a conglomerate of purple fractals. The disturbed Grimm provided a screeching escort to the stolen vessel as it approached its programmed destination: a large, purple, crystalline fortress that jutted up from the barren red terrain.

Emerald shivered as she surveyed their surroundings. She hated this place, had the first time she and Mercury had come here with an injured Cinder in tow. Now, however, even the minute sense of safety she had had in Cinder's presence had been robbed of her as well, lost in the Battle of Haven three weeks prior. Worse still, their failure at Haven was failure for Salem, and Emerald doubted that the dark lady would be sympathetic to any explanations or excuses.

Mercury and Hazel seemed to share her sentiments. The few-days ride from Mistral had been spent in relative silence, but the sense of foreboding had hung in the air like a corpse's stench, and now, they mirrored her own expression of cautious dread as the airship's autopilot finally taxied to a stop before a protrusion from the spire that served as a landing pad.

Mercury hopped off first, followed by Hazel and Emerald. The girl glanced up at the broad man. Hazel's face was impassive as usual, but Emerald could read his worry in the slight crease of his brow. However, she doubted it was for himself, but rather for her and Mercury. Though by no means attempting to be a loving father figure, Hazel had nonverbally taken it upon himself to take the pair of teens as his wards upon Cinder's death at Haven, and he had managed to keep them safe while they hid from the authorities in the underworld.

After Haven, Emerald had awoken, sobbing, over Hazel's shoulder, having blacked out from the overloading of her Semblance. Hazel and Mercury had briefly consoled her, but the moment had been short-lived as they retreated down the mountain and into the criminal depths of Mistral. For three weeks, they stayed hidden among the dregs of society, calling upon a gang Emerald had taken note of during her reconnaissance of Mistral. The Spiders had given them not only information on Team RWBY's whereabouts, but also those of the airship Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel had just disembarked. After stealing the airship, Hazel had programmed the autopilot to take them to the unexplored outer region on the eastern tip of Anima, where few had ever ventured and even fewer had returned alive.

It was that desolate realm which housed Salem's fortress, which currently loomed over the trio like a herald of doom. Together, Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury began to approach, but stopped when they took in the lone figure leering at them from the crystal archway leading to the main entrance.

Tyrian Callows gave a small, unstable chuckle as he turned toward them and greeted in a soft, sing-song voice, "Welcome back, welcome _ba-ack!_" Over his shoulder, his leathery brown scorpion tail lurked like a serpent, tipped with a silver stud where Ruby Rose had removed the stinger. "I do hope that you missed us as much as we missed you!"

Emerald shivered again. Tyrian had always terrified her, and though he was less expressive about it, she could tell that Mercury was unsettled by the Faunus as well. Hazel seemed to sense their fear and simply instructed, "Let's go," as he walked forward and past Tyrian. The two teens followed behind him as he walked beneath the archway and began to ascend the stairs leading to the wooden door.

As Emerald passed him, Tyrian gave an interested, "_Mmm! _Speaking of which, where is our Fall Maiden?" Emerald stiffened and stopped but didn't turn around. She growled as she heard the madman's gasp followed by a bout of jesting giggles.

Mercury, noticing her begin to seethe, encouraged her, "Emerald, come on."

"Don't tell me something happened to her?" Tyrian taunted with mock-sympathy, before he fell into another laughing fit.

Emerald whirled with instant and unthinking rage, whipping out her sickle-pistols and levelling them at the man. The last thing she would tolerate right now was Tyrian's baiting. "I will cut off more than just your tail!" she threatened.

However, her hands began to tremble as Tyrian, still smirking, crept forward and admonished with a hiss, "Careful, little girl. Cinder isn't here to _protect _you anymore." His face inches from hers, the deranged Faunus purposefully ran his cheek along her blade's sharp edge and drew blood, then scowled at her with menace.

Emerald quivered in revulsion, but the feeling of Mercury stepping up behind her to place a hand on her shoulder gave her some relief. "Back off, freak!" Mercury growled, glaring at the Faunus.

The blood from his cut shining under the crimson sky, Tyrian's eyes flicked to Mercury, and his face took on an expression of uncharacteristic sincerity. "Oh, don't misunderstand," he reassured quietly. "I am in mourning just as you. Because it appears you've failed our queen. And that _is _a tragedy." His face had fallen, but suddenly it glanced back up to them with a nasty, wild smirk as he began to giggle.

Mercury turned away in disgust, as did Emerald, as they resumed their ascent of the stairs. Tyrian's maniacal laughter grew in volume and insanity, and Emerald shook in fear as the horrible sound echoed in her ears. However, the tremors had nothing to do with Tyrian, because Emerald knew that however bad he was, reporting their failure to Salem herself would be far worse.

* * *

Blood-red coals blazed to life, set against pools of the darkest blackness in a face paler than bone. Salem's mouth was downturned in a horrible frown as she glared down the table at her three kneeling servants. Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel remained on their knees, heads bowed in subservience and apprehension.

At two of the chairs sat Tyrian and Dr. Watts, who had returned to the fortress from Raven Branwen's camp before the Battle of Haven. Both of them remained silent, but each snuck glances at the unfortunate trio at the end of the table.

Salem's elongated fingernails gleamed like short, dark claws as she slowly commanded in a deadly voice, "I would like you to explain to me… how it is you failed _so _spectacularly."

Emerald remained silent, the question seeming directed at Hazel. "The Faunus militia split our forces-"

"_Stop._"

Hazel paused abruptly at the word, he himself seeming to flinch at the displeasure in Salem's tone. If it was possible, Salem's mouth turned down further. "Let me rephrase the question," she began again. "Who is responsible for your defeat?"

There was silence for a moment, then, Hazel rose to his full height before his mistress. Emerald and Mercury remained kneeling beside him as he looked to Salem. Seeming to set his resolve, he replied in his gravelly voice, "I take full responsibility."

Emerald practically leaped out of her skin from the loud crack the table gave as it overturned. Salem had risen violently from her chair and tossed the massive crystal aside as if it were a toy, knocking Tyrian from his chair and nearly crushing him in the process. On the other side, Watts had leaped from his chair and hastily backed away, and he and the dazed Faunus watched together as Salem approached Hazel and the teens. "_But __**that**_ _wouldn't be __**fair**_ _now, would it?!"_ Salem asked, her voice raised in anger. "We all know who's truly to blame!" She lifted a hand threateningly towards the man as she approached.

Emerald and Mercury stumbled fearfully to their feet behind Hazel as the man shuddered but held his leader's gaze. "I don't-" he began, but Salem was apparently through talking with him. With a twist of her wrist, a red glyph glowed to life at Hazel's feet, and even as he looked down in alarm, what looked like several Geist arms swarmed out of the glyph and locked themselves around Hazel, pulling him to the floor. The man grunted as he was forced to his hands and knees, and one of the black hands closed over his nose and mouth, cutting off his air.

Salem's burning gaze shifted over to the small, trembling girl standing alongside. "_Emerald._" The girl was panting in terror, her eyes locked onto Hazel as he struggled to breathe. She cringed away as Salem drew within inches of her and ordered, "I want you to tell me whose fault this was. _**Now.**_"

"C-Cinder!" Emerald stammered in panic. She managed to regain some measure of control over her voice when she continued, "We failed because of Cinder." Every word felt like a betrayal to her mentor, and yet her fear of the dark lady forced the words from her lips.

"That's right," Salem affirmed softly. She stepped past Emerald a pace, and the girl struggled not to recoil as Salem's hand closed on her shoulder. "I want you to understand that failure," Salem told her. "I want you to understand why Cinder must be left to toil in her isolation until she redeems herself."

Salem walked to the door, even as Emerald and Mercury both processed her words. The teens drew in a sharp breath of realization as one. "You mean…?" Mercury trailed off haltingly.

Emerald finished his thought, scarcely daring to believe. "_She's alive?_"

Apparently, Watts was also skeptical. "You're joking. How could you know that?"

Beside him, Tyrian's gaze turned dark. "Are you questioning our divine savior?" he asked, taking a threatening step toward the doctor.

Watts nervously backed up. "I-" His eyes flicked over to Salem, who stared at him impassively from over Hazel's bowed form, and he gave a soft, awkward chuckle as he said, "Of course not. Forgive me."

Salem nearly smiled. "It's important not to lose sight of what drives us," she said. "Love. Justice. Reverence." She turned to glance meaningfully at Emerald, the continued, "But the moment you put your desires before my own, they will be lost to you." With that, she rounded Hazel and released the man, the Geist limbs retreating into the glyph to disappear. Hazel himself gasped for much needed air, taking his time to rise.

Salem walked back to where the head of the table had been, raising her hands before her. "This isn't a threat. This is simply the truth. The path to your desires is only found through me." She turned her head with a scowl to regard the gathering with menace. Tyrian giggled gleefully at her proclamation, while Watts shifted and adjusted his coat. Hazel gingerly climbed to his feet between Mercury and Emerald as Salem stared out one of the windows of her dark cathedral. "And so we must press on."

She turned fully to address them, her rage apparently having passed. "The sword under Vacuo's Academy, Shade-"

"Ma'am." Salem fell silent at Hazel's voice. Everyone turned to stare at him. Hazel seemed reluctant to continue but even more afraid of withholding what he had to say. "I have… more to report."

Salem's eyes narrowed, and a curl of her fingers summoned forth the glyph again at Hazel's feet. The burly man's eyes flicked worriedly to the Geist hands that waited threateningly at his ankles, but continued, "Qrow and the children are taking the lamp to Atlas…"

Tyrian chuckled and looked to his mistress for affirmation. "Not if _I _can help it."

"And they're being led by Ozpin."

The room fell deathly silent at Hazel's last sentence. Shock was apparent on Watts face, as well as, surprisingly, Tyrian's. "So _soon?_" he breathed.

"He's the only man with a chance of getting through to Ironwood. If that happens-" Watts trailed off as he and Tyrian noticed what the rest had already seen. At the mention of the headmaster's name, the windows of the meeting hall began to crack, filling the air with the sound of splintering glass. Everyone's gaze shifted from the windows to Salem, who stood with her hands curled into talons. Dark smoke billowed around her as the windows continued to groan at her rage.

"_**Leave,**_" she commanded, her voice low and heavy with fury.

"Your Grace, I can-" Tyrian began, but as Salem's fiery gaze flickered to him, the Faunus shrank back, cowed. Emerald trembled at the display. If Tyrian, Salem's most devoted acolyte, was terrified of her…

The thought was cut off as she felt Hazel's hand close on her shoulder. "Come on." Emerald needed no further urging. Quickly, everyone evacuated the meeting hall, leaving their mistress to seethe. The last thing Emerald saw before the heavy wooden doors slammed shut was the glimmer of Salem's blood-red eyes.

Alone, Salem breathed heavily, the smoke still fuming around her. Slowly, she managed to control her breathing and the smoke dissipated. Plans would have to change. If the children were able to get the Relic to Atlas, her desires would become much more difficult to achieve. The Relic of Knowledge took priority; Vacuo would have to wait.

All of it shrank into obscurity in Salem's mind as one thought took precedence. That man… her deepest love… her greatest hatred… _**Ozpin**_**. **

Salem could contain it no longer. The very air shimmered around her with tension, begging for her to give into her anger. She obliged, releasing her magic and rage with a horrible, animal scream of fury, and the windows, responding to her fury, blew inwards and shattered in a cacophony of chaos.

* * *

**Near Brunswick Farms, Kingdom of Mistral**

Ruby was beginning to get sick of the color white.

Everywhere she looked, there was snow covering the ground, having lost the whimsey it had held hours earlier. Trees appeared like judgemental ghosts, watching through dark, slatted eyes as the dejected travellers continued their journey. Even the very air seemed white, transporting fresh blankets of cold powder upon their shoulders every minute.

Her uncle looked grimly to the sky. "Doesn't look like this is gonna let up," he murmured with a sigh.

Blake shivered. "Ugh, I just wanna get this stupid Relic to Atlas," she groaned.

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there," Weiss remarked at her side.

Both their tones were heavy with weary despair. Even though conversation had been sparse since they had begun to follow the trail Maria had pointed out, it was clear that everyone's mind had been burdened with Jinn's revelations for the past half-hour.

Yang addressed Maria, who sat astride Bumblebee. "I thought trails led somewhere," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Maria's photoreceptors narrowed slightly. "Do you have nothing better to do than to harass a _defenseless old lady?_"

Ruby stopped walking. Over the lonely howling of the wind, a new sound had distinguished itself. "Everyone quiet," she said. "Do you hear that?" Yang and Maria went silent as they too picked up on the noise: a metallic, squeaking creak. The group progressed toward the noise and finally found something to break the monotony of the forest: a small settlement of houses held captive by the strengthening blizzard.

The creaking had been the main gate of the establishment, which consisted of a large town hall, several smaller houses, and a well, as well as what appeared to be water tunnels dug beneath the estate. Ruby held out a hand to halt the swinging gate, silencing its forlorn screech, and looked up to the sign above her. _Brunswick Farms_.

"Well, at least one good thing happened today," came Blake's voice from behind her.

Weiss glanced at the buildings, noticing peeling paint and rusted metal beneath the blanket of white. "It looks abandoned."

"It's still better than this," Ruby replied.

Qrow agreed. "Come on," he instructed, holding open the gate. "I think we could all use some rest." No one objected, the group of friends gladly heading into the settlement to try and find some shelter. Overhead, the snow grew heavier, the wind moaning a desolate, unheeded warning as Qrow brought up the rear, the gate shutting behind him with a _clank_.

**Author's Note: So, the aftermath. Everyone knew it was gonna be harsh.**

**Qrow punched a kid. Didn't expect that. Salem went absolutely crazy, and it was terrifying and awesome at the same time. And of course, Brunswick Farms, which houses its own dark secrets, is our heroes' current refuge. I can't wait for you guys to read the episode with the Apathy, as it was (IMO) the scariest episode of RWBY ever and a blast to write! Thanks for the continued support! - Jek**


	80. The Coming Storm

**Chapter Five: The Coming Storm**

**Mistralian Underworld, Mistral**

"Do you have my information?"

The same bodyguards flanked Lil' Miss Malachite as had one week prior, when Cinder had first enlisted the woman's service. Cinder disliked the way they watched her, like a pair of hounds ready to be set off the leash. She disliked even less the smirk that Malachite herself wore as she regarded Cinder.

"Of course I do, darlin'," Lil' Miss replied with her drawling voice. "Lil' Miss always delivers. Although," she tapped the long cigar she held on a nearby ashtray, "I can't promise you'll be pleased." Cinder's hard gaze didn't seem to invoke any fear in the woman. "Word is they were seen boarding the Argus Limited a few weeks back. While that isn't exactly far from here, Argus is rarely a destination for folks. Chances are they'll be going straight to-"

"Atlas," Cinder finished, connecting the dots herself as she turned on her heel to leave. There was no time to waste, especially if she was to attempt to reach Atlas before the children. While she had no concise plan formulated yet, it would do well to have the element of surprise on her side.

Malachite's voice held her smile. "You know, you turned out to be quite the interesting customer… _Cinder._"

Cinder froze. She turned back to the mobster with a glare, trying to put as much menace into her gaze as possible. However, her fears from a week earlier returned. If Malachite knew who she was, then she no doubt might consider turning Cinder in for whatever bounty was on her head. While the establishment wasn't as full as it had been before, Cinder was still wary of the dozen or so Spiders who dotted the tables around her, still unsure if she could best them all without giving away her Maiden powers.

However, Lil' Miss made no move to summon her men. In fact, she leaned back in her chair with an amused smile and tapped her cigarette again. "It's not often a single client brings me double the business," she remarked.

There was a creak from overhead. Cinder's head snapped up, searching for the noise… and she stopped cold, more from surprise than anything else. "Wait." Her eyes travelled up the new arrival's body, starting from her long, white heels and working up brown cargo pants to the familiar white coat that draped the girl's shoulders, still laced with pink. The girl held her trademark parasol in hand, also pink, her hair the same brown and pink as her eyes as she stared down at Cinder. A silent, sinister smirk adorned her lips as she gazed down at Cinder.

The Fall Maiden found herself at a rare loss for words. "_Neo?_" she said dumbly. The last time she'd seen that girl, Cinder had given the mercenary orders to liberate her boss, Roman Torchwick, from Ironwood's flagship during the Fall of Beacon. She hadn't known what had happened to Neo after the Fall, assuming she'd died with Torchwick during the ship's crash into Vale.

However, Neopolitan's very much alive form stood over her on the second floor, tensed for action. Dimly, Cinder heard Malachite behind her tell someone, "Maybe put away the good glasses," even as Neo's smirk vanished and she leaped forward. Cinder raised her hands to block, but Neo shattered upon impact. _Her Semblance! _Cinder thought frantically as Neo reappeared to her right and thrust her backwards.

"What are you doing?" Cinder demanded, still caught off-guard by her former subordinate's unannounced arrival. However, Neo remained traditionally silent, merely grinning at Cinder as she flipped backward before her face steeled once more and she rushed back into the fight.

Cinder dodged left and right as the parasol speared for her face, throwing a punch of her own, which Neo neatly dodged. A second blow was blocked by the parasol, which then swung into her stomach and knocked the wind out of her before snapping up to strike her in the face. Cinder cried out as the hard blow smacked into her nose, given no time to rest as Neo pressed the offensive, swinging her umbrella left and right before blossoming it outward and thrusting Cinder back against Malachite's table.

The guards moved to defend their boss, but Lil' Miss held them back with a smile, gleefully spectating the fight along with the other Spiders in the bar. Cinder growled, holding Neo's weapon at bay with both hands. Unfortunately, because of the still-public setting, she couldn't use her Maiden powers to conjure up a pair of swords, reduced to far less effective hand fighting. She was outmatched against her armed opponent, and they both knew it.

Cinder pushed off of the table with both feet and yelled as she struck down with a hammerfist, but Neo easily caught the blow on her umbrella. Her free arm went stylistically behind her back as she continued to block, dodge, or parry Cinder's next flurry of strikes and kicks. The ice cream mercenary ducked beneath a sweeping kick and swiped upwards with her umbrella, but Cinder twisted and managed to find an opening delivering a two-footed kick to Neo's face that catapulted her back.

Cinder and Neo both flipped with the momentum, Cinder landing on the bar and Neo floating gently down to join her on her parasol. Neo's eyes flicked down to an abandoned bowl and struck it with her parasol to flick it into the air. Catching it with the handle of her umbrella, she flung it forward at Cinder, where it shattered on the Maiden's blocking arms. A second dish followed swiftly, this one caught in Cinder's hands and smashed a moment later as Neo swiped out once more with her parasol.

Legs clashed in a deadly dance across the bar, neither woman managing a solid hit on the other for several seconds. Neo struck out with the parasol a few more times and threw herself forward into another storm of kicks. Cinder, impressively, managed to dodge the barrage and caught Neo by the legs, flinging her bodily off the bar with a cry.

However, Neo reacted quickly, opening her umbrella to float gently to the floor, the infuriating smile still on her face. Cinder pursued and flipped backwards twice with a kick, both blocked by Neo, before they began trading blows again in a short exchange. However, Cinder was done with Neo's insolence and snapped an unexpected kick to the side, pinning Neo to a nearby table. With blinding speed, Cinder pushed off of Neo's shoulders and launched herself to the ceiling, then twisted in midair and rocketed back towards Neo. Neo's pink eye was wide and reflected the fire covering Cinder's fist as she barely dodged the flaming attack that shattered the wooden table beneath her.

Neo and Cinder both flipped away and traded their original positions, Neo on the floor gazing upward at Cinder on the second floor railing. However, the combatants paused at the sound of cocking weapons all around the bar and looked around to find themselves held at gunpoint by the Spiders.

"That's enough ladies!" Lil' Miss Malachite cried, grinning at the display. "I love dinner and a show, but it's time to take it outside."

Neo appeared to have no complaint, because in the time it took Cinder to process the mob boss's words, she already found herself hurtling through one of the upper windows of the establishment, swiftly followed by her mercenary foe. Cinder's Aura protected her from being cut by the shattered glass, and she landed on her feet. Neo was right behind her, but like the glass she too shattered upon hitting the ground.

Cinder's lips twisted into a rueful smile. "Nice trick," she mused. She straightened and progressed deeper into the dank, misty alleyway. "You've gotten stronger," she commented to the shadows. "So have I." Free of the eyes of the Spiders, Cinder activated her Maiden powers, summoning a fireball into her hand. A noise from behind drew her attention, and her hand snapped up and fired off the flaming projectile.

However, the ball of flame burst on the pink umbrella, which Neo twisted to put out the flames. She draped the parasol over her shoulder again and strode forward, revealing, along with some rips and tears from their battle, a new addition to her outfit: a familiar black bowler hat with a red rim. Beneath the brim of the hat, Neo's eyes had lost their mirth, and her mouth was twisted in a silent scowl as she glared at Cinder.

Between the hat and Neo's murderous gaze, the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Cinder regarded the girl with annoyance. "I don't have time for your misplaced blame, girl. I didn't kill your boss. If you want revenge, take it up with 'Little Red.'"

Neo's reply was to dash toward Cinder with a fresh barrage of strikes with her parasol. Twin elemental swords flared to life in Cinder's hands as she did battle with Neo, now on even footing with weaponry of her own. Amidst the slashing and blocking, she managed to get out, "You're not the only one with a grudge against Ruby!"

Neo didn't listen. With an unexpected pirouette, she twisted and launched her weapon, handle first, into Cinder's face. Cinder's head snapped back as fire exploded behind her eyes. That had _hurt_.

"_**Listen!**_" Cinder cried, a new, magical fire adorning her face as she thrust Neo back with a gust of wind. Neo skidded to a stop a few feet away, looking on in awe at Cinder's display of power. "We both want that girl dead," Cinder said, levitating off the ground to hover in the air, surrounded by a small cyclone. Neo shrank back cautiously with reserved fear, her pink and brown hair blowing back from the wind. "So quit wasting your time fighting me, and let's discuss how we kill her together."

The fear remained, but Neo appeared to relax her tensed stance and lowered her umbrella. Cinder was struck suddenly by her memory of acquiring Mercury and Emerald, their loyalty and gratitude as she offered them something more than they had. And while Cinder still harbored serious doubts about Neo's loyalty, at least having a common enemy seemed to be a first step.

"Okay, then," the Maiden said. "Let's talk." She deactivated her powers and floated gently to the ground. Neo looked at her blandly and pointed to her mute mouth, and Cinder sighed and rolled her eyes. "Right."

* * *

**Brunswick Farms, Kingdom of Mistral**

Even since the short trek to the porch of the settlement's main building, the snow had severely intensified. Ruby doubted that she would be able to see her friends if the wandered further than ten feet from her. The white flurries of snowflakes had become cold, wet carpets that obscured nearly all details of Brunswick Farms other than some brittle, black trees and rickety fences. She sighed. "I don't get it. The empty towns I've passed through were all damaged or unfinished. But this place looks… fine." It was unsettling to see a lack of life akin to Kuroyuri or Shion in such a normal, rustic setting as the residence before them.

Weiss shivered and stared out into the storm, arms wrapped tightly around herself to conserve what little warmth she had left. "Maybe everyone left in a hurry," she suggested through chattering teeth, red scarf blowing in the wind, "before things took a turn?"

Qrow twisted the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. "Hmm." Locked doors usually meant occupants, but the farm looked as if it hadn't seen human hands for months. "Stay on guard," the Huntsman ordered. He raised a leg, drawing his sword as he did, and kicked in the door to rush into the house. The others followed him, weapons similarly drawn. They stood in a defensive circle and warily surveyed the gloom of the interior.

"Close the door already!" came Maria's voice from behind. The group turned to see her following them over the threshold. "It's cold enough in here as it is." Oscar turned and spied an old cabinet and, together with Blake, dragged it in front of the door to keep out any unwanted guests.

"I saw a chimney from the outside," Blake said. "Maybe we could get a fire going?"

"_Please,_" Weiss replied. "I'll look for some blankets."

"Yang, go with her," Qrow said. It was best for no one to be alone until they had taken full stock of the house and its potential inhabitants.

Yang nodded and followed Weiss up the stairs to the second floor. Oscar and Maria went to the next room over, and his voice was muffled to Ruby as he commented, "Looks like a study. Or a… library?" Ruby only partially heard him, noticing some framed pictures on the far wall. She approached them and took in the sight of the settlers of the farm, all smiles as they posed under the welcome sign during a less snowy part of the year. The leader appeared to be a man with a full beard and straw hat, his quaint wife at his side.

"What do you think?" Blake asked as she came to Ruby's right, also looking at the picture.

"Something doesn't feel right," the leader replied. The happy, smiling community didn't match up with the empty shell they had found.

Blake shrugged. "Let's look for some-"

The Faunus girl was cut off by a shrill, terrified scream and a slammed door from above. Ruby and Blake both turned to the stairs. "Weiss!" Ruby cried as the duo rushed up the steps, taking them two at a time. They turned into the first open door and nearly stumbled over their teammates, who both sat in the doorway. Qrow came in on their heels. Weiss and Yang both looked horrified, and the heiress's breath came in short, shallow gasps as she stared at the bed.

When Ruby, Blake, and Qrow's eyes fell upon the bed, they too stared in shock. The farm was not abandoned after all. There beneath the covers rested the bodies of the couple Ruby had seen in the picture downstairs. Both lay still, the still of the dead, and their bony faces and fingers were wan and withered, having yet to decompose due to the cold.

* * *

The fire crackled comfortingly in the hearth, the only sound in the silent living room. Weiss huddled before it, knees pull up to her chin like a small child and hands resting on her knees. She flinched as she felt something drape across her shoulders, but relaxed as she looked up into Blake's sympathetic smile and gratefully snuggled deeper underneath the blanket.

Everyone was silent, Maria, Blake, and Yang sitting on the couches while Ruby and Oscar stood near Weiss. Everyone had been told to stay put by Qrow upon discovery of the bodies as he went to check the other residencies.

The front door was heard slamming open, then shutting itself on the wailing wind a moment later as Qrow walked into the living room. All eyes settled on him as he brushed some snow from his shoulders. "It's the same in every house," he said grimly.

"What?" Yang gave voice to the group's thoughts.

"Bodies," Qrow went on. "Every bed in every home." He walked over to the fireplace and knelt beside Weiss, stretching out his hands to warm them. "It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up."

Weiss glanced at him. "Then we're not staying here, right?"

"We don't have a choice. Storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere."

The silence was broken by Maria, who hopped off of her couch and walked over to one of the bookshelves. "Well, might as well make ourselves comfortable," she said as she began perusing the shelves for a story.

Yang scoffed. "Yeah, fat chance."

"Okay, then let's do something," Ruby recommended, trying to keep morale up. If this place wasn't abandoned, it might still have supplies we could use."

"Hey, yeah," agreed Oscar, "maybe even a car."

"I'll do another sweep of the grounds," Qrow said as he began to walk back to the door. He stopped and turned over his shoulder with a severe look. "No one else goes anywhere alone."

Blake stood. "Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles."

"Fine," Yang said, also standing. "Whatever gets me out of this house." She and Blake followed Qrow through the door and shut it behind them. Ruby replaced the heavy dresser in front of the door after they'd left.

Hearing footsteps to her right, Ruby turned to see Weiss draped in the blanket and standing in the doorframe of the living room. She looked like a little girl who'd had a nightmare. Ruby tried to give her a comforting smile. "Food always makes me feel better," she said with a small, nervous chuckle. "Just sayin'."

Weiss didn't smile, but she seemed appreciative of the words. "Right." She followed behind Ruby as they went into another room to try and scrounge up some dinner.

Oscar watched them go before the last other occupant of the room spoke. "Tell you what," said Maria, having picked out a nondescript book with an _I _across the front. "You keep that fire fed…" she walked over to the couch and sat back down, "and I'll find us a story to read before bed."

Oscar sighed as she flipped open the book, then turned back to the fire.

* * *

If anything, the storm had intensified even more in the brief time they had been indoors. Yang leaned against the wind, holding up an arm to shield her eyes from the assault of snowflakes. Blake hugged her arms to herself as she followed close behind in a desperate attempt to stay warm. Windchill made the cold that much more biting, making snowflakes into stinging projectiles wherever they connected skin.

Squinting through the blizzard allowed Yang to barely see their destination: a small workshed she had noticed when they had first arrived. The shed looked large enough to house a vehicle, if there were any on the property.

The girls worked together to open the heavy door and then slid it shut before any more of the snow and winter air could follow them inside. They turned and surveyed the room, taking in the sight of rows upon rows of metal shelving, stocked to the brim with farming equipment. Yang ruefully thought that Oscar would be more in his element than her, but brushed the thought aside as they began their search.

However, their brief first glance revealed only an old, rusted tractor, likely long since ruined by time and neglect. "Something tells me that's not street legal," Blake mused as Yang walked further into the shelves.

Yang only half heard her. Her mind was on earlier, when she and Weiss had discovered the bodies of the farmers. Though Weiss had been far more vocal with her fear, Yang had been disturbed by the find too, and she couldn't shake the image of the cold, silent corpses from her mind. "What do you think happened here?" she asked softly, not looking at Blake.

"There's that well in the square," Blake said, the two glancing at each other briefly. "Maybe water contamination?"

"Yeah, maybe," Yang replied, but she was still skeptical. The farm may have been small, but all of the signs pointed to it being well run and defended, against Grimm and nature alike. Locked doors? Bodies in _every _bed? But that brought back to mind the images of the couple in the main house, and Yang shuddered with a sigh as she raised a hand to her head.

Blake noticed and sounded worried as she asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Yang said. "I mean, no, but… I don't know. I'm just tired." She did, too. Very tired, lethargic, as if every blink were an effort. All she wanted was to go back to the house and sleep, but there was still a job to be done.

"Yeah," Blake said uncomfortably, not really knowing how to respond. Yang continued through the shed, but stopped as something caught her eye. "Hey, I found something." Near a closed window, illuminated with pale white light from outside, an old flatbed trailer sat in solitude amidst the shelves. Yang looked down at the trailer, pleased with her find. When the storm died down, she could hook this up to Bumblebee and everyone else could ride behind her.

Her eyes flicked up to the window, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Fiery red hair, sharp black horns, eyes obscured by the mask, grinning in the blizzard as he unsheathed his blood-red sword. She gasped and jerked back, but when she blinked, he vanished before her eyes.

Blake was at her side in an instant. "What is it?" she asked urgently.

"I…" Yang stared out into the snow, looking at the dead, blackened tree where he had just stood. "I was just seeing things. I'm sorry." Blake seemed to calm at her words, but she looked in surprised worry as she noticed Yang's flesh and bone hand trembling violently. Yang brought it into her other, metal palm to still the tremors. "I still get flashes from that night." She gazed hesitantly back out the window, to make sure that he was gone, and voiced, "Do you think Adam's still out there?"

Blake's ears curled slightly with uncertainty as she replied, "I don't know. If he went back to the White Fang, there would have been serious consequences. But, he never really liked people telling him what to do." She paused thoughtfully. "Adam's strong, but his real power comes from control. He used to get in my head, make me feel small." Her expression steeled. "But now I see he just wanted to pull me down to his size."

Yang held her prosthetic hand in front of her, but Blake's hands closed over her own. "Hey. I'm not leaving," she reassured softly. "And if we ever see him again, I promise I'll be there." Yang smiled back at her. "And I'll protect you."

The smile was erased. Yang looked at her strangely, lilac eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"

"What?" Blake asked.

Yang held her gaze for a moment, the pulled her hand away. "Forget it," she said, turning back towards the shed entrance. "Let's just head back."

"But what about-"

"We're fine. We can hook up that flatbed to Bumblebee in the morning. Should carry everybody." The shortness of her tone cut off Blake's question. "Mission accomplished." Behind her, Blake's ears flattened sadly atop her head as she looked out the window at the storm.

* * *

The flash light of Ruby's Scroll scanned across the walls. However, rather than food, only bottles lined the walls. Beside her, Weiss had shed her blanket and held Mytrenaster in hand. She lifted the rapier and used a small amount of Dust to send several embers of glowing fire to float gently around the room like little spirits. The spirits found their home on the wicks of several candles spread throughout the room, bringing a healthy golden glow to illuminate the room.

"There," Weiss said, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"On second thought, maybe we should keep this room closed," Ruby said, staring at the racks of bottles behind a small bar.

"Huh?"

"I'm just… not sure how well my uncle's taking all of this," Ruby explained.

Weiss followed her gaze to the alcohol. "Oh," she murmured in understanding.

Ruby brightened as best she could and walked forward towards a door on the other side of the room. "Come on," she beckoned. "We'll never get to Atlas on an empty stomach!" She didn't see Weiss's face turn downward slightly as she lingered behind a step.

"Ruby," she said a moment later. Her friend turned to face her. "Are we really still going to Atlas?"

Ruby was taken aback by the question. "Why wouldn't we be?" she asked in a small voice.

Weiss appeared hesitant, but went on, "I mean… you heard what Jinn said. If there's no way to kill Salem, then what's the point in all of this?"

Ruby stared at her best friend with wide, silver eyes filled with disbelief. "Weiss, you can't be serious." Even if things looked hopeless, they had to at least try to find a way through. They couldn't just lay down and die.

Weiss sighed heavily. "Sorry, I don't know what I'm saying," she apologized. "I'm just really tired and I really, _really _hate this place." She walked up to Ruby and peered through the door, which Ruby had opened before Weiss had asked her question. "Anything in there?"

Ruby turned to truly inspect the room for the first time. Her mouth curled down in resigned disappointment at the sight of wooden barrels and more racked drinks. "More alcohol," she murmured unhappily. "At least we'll never have problems starting a fire."

"What's that?" Weiss asked, and Ruby shifted the flashlight to focus on a large pair of steel doors built at an incline into the floor. The door handles were chained together, locking whatever was in the lower basement away. "A wine cellar?" Weiss guessed. "Great."

Ruby looked to the side and gasped, then dashed to a nearby shelf. "What, what is it?!" Weiss asked.

"Food!" Ruby cried with a smile, displaying a can of beans and glad their search

had finally proven successful.

Weiss looked at the beans distastefully. "_Canned _food?"

Ruby waved a hand. "Oh, trust me. You put enough salt on anything and it'll

taste _just _fine!"

Weiss's frown eventually melted into a smile. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing." She stepped forward, and the pair each gathered a few cans in their arms. They turned to exit the storage room as Weiss added, "But I still really hate this place."

Neither of the girls noticed one of the heavy steel doors being lifted slightly with a _creak_ behind them before slamming back shut as they left, whatever force had lifted the door being confined in the wine cellar by the chain.

**Author's Note: Oooh, spoopy! Neo's back, the little ice cream girl, and you gotta love her, even if you're terrified of her. **

**So, as the school year winds down, the administration is gonna start collecting our laptops. Mine is being picked up this coming Friday, so I have until then to finish writing and releasing Volume 6 for you wonderful lads. I'll be updating once or twice with more than one chapter, and as I finish typing this, I'm going to begin working on V6E12: Seeing Red. Wish me luck, and please, enjoy the chapter! - Jek**


	81. Alone in the Woods

**Chapter Six: Alone in the Woods**

The snow had become less intense, the blizzard from earlier being replaced by a gentle collection of drifting, silver flakes, each a small ballerina twirling under the spotlight of the broken moon. Ruby watched from the stairs as the dancers elegantly fell groundward, then peeked around the corner into the living room. Her teammates all sat before the hearth for warmth, their forlorn silence allowing the crackling fire to fill the room. Maria sat where she had for much of the evening, reading a book she'd picked from the shelves; Oscar paced restlessly behind her, hands behind his back.

Ruby sighed. How could a single day be so wearying, bring so many revelations? The battle with the Grimm on the Argus Limited felt like a lifetime ago, and Ruby knew that in the silence, everyone's mind was still occupied by what they had learned from Jinn. Oscar in particular seemed to have taken the information hard as he walked back and forth from wall to wall in agonized contemplation.

Ruby pitied the boy, but even he seemed to be taking it better than Qrow. The young huntress turned and walked over to the window, where her uncle leaned back in a chair he'd pulled up beside the glass. His arm dangled loosely at his side, a large glass of wine resting on the floor not far from his fingertips. "Storm's cleared up for now," he said, staring grimly out the window. "We should be able to leave by morning."

"That's good," Ruby said, trying to sound optimistic.

"No." A chill ran down her spine at the bleakness in Qrow's tone. "I don't have a good feeling about this place… especially with me around."

Ruby glanced down at the bottle and cautiously ventured, "Are you… okay?"

Qrow chuckled humorlessly. "Heh. _Sure_." He didn't even move to look at her. "Tell everyone to get some sleep. I'll wake you guys up just before sunrise." Ruby turned to walk to the living room, glancing sadly over her shoulder at the sound of liquid sloshing to see her uncle tipping the wine bottle high into the air.

In the living room, Oscar had ceased his incessant pacing at Maria's request. The old woman seemed to understand better than anyone how heavy his thoughts were weighing on his mind, and had called him to her side to keep his mind off of Ozpin and Jinn. "It's a diary?" he repeated.

"The head of this household, Bartleby," she affirmed. "Apparently, he and several other families founded this little settlement to try and live on their own. It sounds like it worked, at least, for a spell." She gestured to two other books on a nearby table, which she'd already read through.

Oscar read her meaning. "Grimm?" he asked.

"Just one of many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder. It's a shame really. " Oscar moved to sit in front of her, back to a large chest they'd found to contain blankets, as she went on, "He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow, always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds."

At that moment, Ruby entered and announced, "Hey guys. Qrow said we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow."

A subtle wave of relief seemed to pass through her teammates, Blake even murmuring, "Thank goodness," as she and the others stood. Oscar opened the chest and began digging through it for blankets and pillows while Maria hopped up from her seat on the couch and ambled her way to a chair on the far side of the room. "The last thing you'll catch me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do," she muttered wryly. "'Go to bed!'" She scoffed and sat in the chair, turning on a nearby lamp as she flipped Bartleby's journal open again.

Ruby shrugged with a rueful smile at the woman, then turned with the others to begin making her bed as the fire roared comfortingly in the fireplace.

* * *

By morning, the fire had gone out, the only remnants of its warmth being faint, glowing embers that stubbornly clung to life. A few scant rays of light managed to worm their way through the drawn curtains to fall across the sleeping forms of the children, all spread out across the living room floor. Maria was also asleep in her chair, the book still held in her folded hands.

At his lookouts place by the window, Qrow was also dead to the world, the bottle still hanging precariously in his limp fingers. It shifted slightly, tilting towards the floor, before it finally fell with a loud clank.

The sound woke Ruby with a startled noise that was half-gasp, half-yelp. She couldn't remember if she'd been dreaming or nightmaring and was, for a moment, disoriented before she managed to catch her breath and take in her surroundings. Strangely, even though she had rested well during the night, she still felt tired and lethargic. However, there was still a job to be done, and they needed to get a move on towards Argus.

Shaking her head and dismissing her lack of energy to having just woken up, Ruby stood and tiptoed her way through her still-sleeping friends to open the curtains so that the light would rouse them. Weiss gave an annoyed groan and complained from the murky depths of sleep, "Close the window!"

Ruby ignored the heiress and left the window open to wake her friends as she walked into the foyer, where her uncle sat slumbering beside the window. She knelt to pick up an empty bottle, noting with displeasure that two more now sat by the legs of the chair. "Uncle Qrow?" No response. She shook him by the shoulder. "Come on, get up!"

He groaned slightly, still half-asleep. "Leave me alone."

"We overslept." Qrow didn't reply except to mumble something indecipherable and shove her away gently with a hand. Ruby stared at him. She loved her uncle as much as her sister or her father, but she hated to see him like this. She recalled from her childhood times when he would come to visit, when she'd creep downstairs late some nights for a glass of milk to find him crying and drinking as he looked at an old picture he kept with him. She never told him, but she suspected he knew she had seen him.

She stared down at the bottle and hated it more than she'd hated anything in her life. The alcohol, always his escape, yet a cursed one at that. Her hand trembled, and with sudden anger she threw it against the wall, where it shattered with a loud crash.

The noise jarred Qrow to consciousness. He straightened up and groaned, likely hungover. "What?" His eyes darted to her, to the shattered bottle in the corner, and he realized that daylight shone through the window. "Oh, right. Sunrise."

His tone alone might have brought tears to her eyes, but Ruby was used to grief by now. Instead, she knelt down and pulled him into a hug, whispering into his ear, "You know, you can talk to me about stuff. Yang too."

"Let's just get out of here," he replied, trying to put some reassurance into his voice, but he did give her a fond pat on the back before breaking her embrace to help her wake the others.

* * *

In short time, everyone had awakened. Yang pulled Bumblebee to the front of the house while Weiss and Blake attached a metal harness to the back of the bike with a ball bearing to pull the trailer. Everyone still seemed tired, as if they hadn't slept at all.

Weiss finished welding the ball bearing to the harness, the magic from Myrtenaster fading as she stood. "There."

Oscar and Blake watched from the steps of the porch, Blake hugging her knees while Oscar fitted his head into a hand. "Can we just go back to bed?" the boy suggested wearily.

"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Blake suggested.

"You wanna make it?"

"Not really."

They both looked up to see Ruby and Qrow pushing the trailer Yang and Blake had found the day before up to the back of the bike. They stopped a few feet away. "You guy's got the bike ready?" Ruby asked her sister.

Yang gestured to the harness with an indifferent, "Hmm."

"Well, it's done now," Qrow said, putting a foot up on the trailer, "so let's hook this thing up and-" The trailer shifted suddenly with a dull _pop_ and the telltale hiss of air that signified a flat tire. Ruby looked worriedly to him as he growled angrily and walked to the tire to assess the damage.

Maria chimed in with the worst possible words. "You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Though she couldn't have known, she'd touched a nerve, and Qrow's mouth curled into a tight-lipped frown as he stalked over to a nearby fence and sank to the snow, pulling out his flask.

Yang seemed to follow his example, sliding down against the well. "I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas," she muttered.

Ruby sighed. "It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare."

"It's not just that," Yang replied bitterly, "it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters…" She sighed as well. "I'm so tired."

"Me too," Blake seconded. "It feels like we're always having to fight to get by."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. Admittedly, the punches had been coming hard and fast recently. "But that's what we signed up for."

"We signed up to try and save the world," Oscar amended, "not just… delay the inevitable."

No one spoke for a moment, processing the depressing words. Weiss broke the silence. "Last night, I… I couldn't stop thinking. Why are we even going to Atlas?"

The others looked amongst themselves, as if considering Weiss's question. Ruby stood firm. "Weiss, we have to."

"Why?" That came from her sister, who stood up beside her. "Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools. But how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"

"But-" Ruby began. "The Grimm might-"

"They'd find it eventually, sure," Yang aceded. "But bury it, or just throw it down the well… it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime." She stepped forward. "But we could be done with it _now._"

Ruby reached down and unhooked the Relic from her belt. Hesitantly, she looked up to her sister. Blake and Weiss moved to stand beside Yang, all of them staring at her blandly. They seemed strangely impassive, almost expressionless, but Ruby could barely focus on them over the pressure in her own head. Yang's words echoed in her head: "_Just throw it down the well…_"

Slowly, haltingly, Ruby walked toward the well, the lamp in her hand. "I am… really… _tired_," she admitted. As if she were the flower of her namesake, Ruby seemed to wilt as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Her eyes felt as if weights were dragging them down as she stared down into the abyss of the well. She extended the lamp over the gaping maw in the ground, her hand trembling as she held it. All it would take would be a slight tilt of her hand. Her teammate's words danced in her mind, seductive and enticing.

For a set of heartbeats, the lamp lay suspended above its fate, but Ruby sighed as her sense of duty and responsibility won out, as much as she wished it wouldn't. They couldn't abandon the lamp out here. Atlas was their goal, and to Atlas they would go. They had to keep moving forward.

She glanced at the Relic and began to pull it back from the well's lip. However, as she peered past its golden frame, her eyes went wide in shock at the sight of a pair of glowing red orbs staring up at her from the darkness below. With a startled shriek, Ruby jerked back, fumbling the lamp as she stumbled, and before her horrified eyes, she watched the Relic of Knowledge ping once against the stone of the well before it landed with a splash in the darkness below.

"No, no, _no!_ I didn't mean to!" Ruby cried helplessly, her head sinking into her hands in despair.

From behind, she heard Weiss say monotonously, "Ruby, it's okay."

"No!" she protested as she whirled on her friends. "No, there's something down there! I saw it! It was looking at me!" She stared back down into the darkness of the well, but whatever the creature with the burning red eyes had been had disappeared back into the darkness.

A hand closed on her shoulder. "Hey," said Yang. "It's okay. You just said you're tired. It was probably nothing. Now let's go."

Ruby turned again, finally fully aware of her friends' bizarre behavior. Her adrenaline was flowing, making her senses more sharp and acute, and she could see now the disturbing blankness of her teammates' faces, the subtle glazing across their eyes, as if they were in a trance. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded, knocking Yang's hand away. "We can't just leave, we have to go down there. We have to get the lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?"

Qrow's voice came from the fence, with that same, eerie edge of flatness. "All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey farmboy, check the shed for a spare."

No. That was enough. Either everyone was going to wake up, or she was going to do this on her own. "I'm not leaving without the lamp!" Ruby shouted definitively.

Her friends' expressions didn't flicker from her outburst, but after a moment, Blake sighed, even the exhale seeming like a burden on her shoulders. "I'll go down with you."

"We'll go down together," Weiss corrected, seeming equally unhappy with the decision but too tired to voice a complaint.

"Fine," Qrow growled from the fence as he got to his feet and stalked to the porch. "Get the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire."

The Huntsman trudged up the steps. "Where are you going?" Maria asked sharply.

"Where do you think?" he replied brusquely as he shook his flask.

Maria almost appeared to roll her photoreceptors. "Stupid," she muttered. She sat down on the steps and placed her cane by her side, opening Bartleby's sixth journal, which she had begun reading before falling asleep the night before.

While Maria read and Oscar moved to find a spare tire or a patching kit, Team RWBY leaped down the well together. The water was cold but only came up to their ankles. Ruby and Yang both took out their Scrolls and turned on their flashlights to illuminate their way. In the dim glow, Ruby took in the sight of the long tunnel ahead of them, walls made of stone bricks and wooden beams making up a support system the entire way. The air was damp and smelled like mildew, seeming to cling to their clothes with an unsettling humidity. There was no sign of the Relic.

"Maybe the current carried it away," Yang suggested. Ruby felt the small pull of the water at her feet, leading ahead of them. With the girls in tow, she started walking through the shallow stream, eyes peeled for the lamp.

However, after about five minutes of slow walking and searching, Ruby began to despair. The water tunnels couldn't be so vast that the lamp would be lost forever, could they? "Oh, come on, where is it?"

Blake offered a suggestion. "Turn of your lights and just look for the glow."

Ruby was hesitant to the idea, the burning red eyes she'd seen above ground still prominent in her memory, but she gave in, finding the lamp seeming of greater importance. "Okay." With Yang, she pocketed her Scroll and began to look for the telltale blue glow of the Relic, Crescent Rose held at the ready should something leap at them from the darkness.

The idea proved successful. Merely moments later, Blake lifted a hand. "There." Ruby followed her finger to a faint, blue light emanating from a tunnel offshooting from theirs. With a thankful smile towards her teammate, Ruby quickened her pace and sloshed toward the other tunnel.

* * *

Above ground, Maria was still reading the journal as Oscar did his work on the trailer. She squinted, partially from concentration and partially because of Bartleby's small handwriting. The farmer had been talking for a few volumes of his notary now about the increasing costs of hiring Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect their settlement, and he'd been trying to come up with a method of keeping the Grimm away without the help of the warriors.

As Maria read a passage under a new date, Bartleby's discouraged words suddenly took on a new hopefulness. "_I did it!_" he wrote triumphantly. "_I found my solution!_" He went on to describe how he'd always known that the strong, negative emotions were what was attracting the Grimm. They had tried to managed their negativity, but there was always conflict in any society, and the farmers had been forced to turn to the Huntsmen for aide several times.

Now however, Bartleby spoke of some sort of new find. "_The Huntsman pointed them out to me the other day._" According to Bartleby, the Huntsman warned the farmer that whatever this discovery was, it wasn't to be trifled with. Bartleby, however, seemed not to care.

Perplexed, Maria turned the page, but then, her photoreceptors shot wide in alarm as she gasped. On the page before her was a makeshift drawing of a nightmarish creature, completely black, with thin, limp arms that dangled down to its knees and a gaping red maw of a mouth beneath two red eyes that glowed like coals. The page before it was titled simply, "_The Apathy_."

"Fool!" Maria cursed herself under her breath as she leaped to her feet and hobbled as quickly as she could to the well. She should have recognized it sooner, but she could dwell on her own mistakes when and if everyone was safe. For the time being, however, the girls were alone in the sewers beneath the estate, and if Bartleby had gone through with his mad scheme, then Maria would have to act fast before they all shared the fate of the original owners.

* * *

Ruby rounded the corner and gave a relieved sigh at the sight of the Relic of Knowledge glowing dimly on a small outcropping of rock, keeping it from flowing further with the current. "Guys! I-!" She began excitedly, but as she looked up, her eyes widened in horror. Before her stood a horde of Grimm of some kind, humanoid in shape, but skeletal, as if wasted away from hunger. Their legs and arms were unnaturally long and bent at knobby joints, and a carapace of white bone spread sharply across their torsos. Most disturbing of all were the heads, looking like warped human skulls with glowing red eyes.

As one, the gathering of Grimm turned toward her and gave a haunting, moaning growl, reaching for her with spindly hands tipped with thin, sharp claws. Ruby screamed, stumbling over her feet as she desperately backpedalled away from the monsters.

"Ruby?!" came Yang's cry from the tunnel, the emptiness that had plagued it all morning replaced by concern. Ruby ran back around the corner as her friends ran to her side, all of whom appeared more alert and looked at her wide-eyed. "What is it?" her sister asked frantically.

Before Ruby could respond, the creatures began to follow her around the corner, shambling like zombies and twitching unnaturally in the dim light. Ruby whipped out her weapon and began to fire at the creatures, but her fear combined with the darkness caused what shots she did land to hit shoulders or legs instead of anywhere vital.

The Grimm didn't seem to react to being shot. Instead, they continued plodding forward before suddenly from the midst of them arose a terrible shriek. At the harsh sound, the girls all staggered, bending over as a sudden wave of weakness overtook their bodies.

"What… is this?" Yang wondered, a slight ringing in her ears.

Blake and Weiss had been drawing their weapons before slumping. "My weapon… feels… heavy…" Blake managed.

"_Run! __**Now!**_" came Maria's order from behind. The girls turned to see the woman standing several yards away from them, motioning with her cane. Faced with the horde of horrific wraiths before them, they needed no second prodding.

"Go, go!" Ruby cried, and they turned as one and fled deeper into the water tunnels. The groaning of the Grimm still carried on behind them, and moments later, another shriek echoed through the tunnels. Team RWBY and Maria all doubled over again. Perhaps whatever was affecting them was dependent on proximity, because even though the wave of exhaustion still swept over them, they managed to shake themselves of it quicker than before.

Ruby supported herself on the wall and looked to a large hole in the bricks leading to another tunnel. "This way!" She took off, leading the group, as they sprinted for their lives through the ankle-deep water. Ruby gasped as they passed another hole in the walls where more of the Grimm were emerging, even spying the decomposed skeleton of one of the inhabitants of the estate leaning against the wall, but the creatures didn't shriek, and the group pressed on.

Ruby couldn't tell how long they ran, dodging the Grimm as they popped out of other tunnels and openings in the stone, but they finally rounded a corner into a room with no further tunnels. Ruby gasped in alarm at the sight of another horde of the Grimm waiting for them within, looking far too human with their skulls and their teeth. They turned to dash away, but the Grimm gave another of their horrible shrieks, and at such close range, everyone fell to their knees.

"Can't… do this. Can't…" Yang murmured, struggling to support herself on all fours.

Maria, at the front of the group, managed to support herself by her cane for a few more steps before collapsing against something wooden. Blearily, she looked up and realized that it was a step. Hope ate away at the weariness enough for her to cry weakly to the others, "An exit. An exit!"

Ruby looked to the woman and saw that she rested at the base of a stairwell, leading up to a slanted set of heavy metal doors. Ruby didn't know where the doors led, and right now she didn't care. All that she could rationalized in her muddled thoughts at the moment was that up was good. Crawling forward on hands and knees, she came to Weiss's side and desperately urged her to keep moving. "Come on!"

A clank behind her drew her attention. Blake, who had brought up the rear of the group, had fallen like the rest of them at the shriek. Now however, Gambol Shroud had fallen from weak limbs before her, and even as Ruby watched, the Faunus girl slumped to her side, not even trying to move as the Grimm drew ever closer from behind.

"Blake," Ruby implored through a mouth that felt full of sand, "get… up!"

Blake's eyes were open, but she didn't look at Ruby. She didn't look at anything, her amber orbs glassy and her voice lifeless as she droned, "It's fine…" More Grimm were streaming through the hole they had come from, joining the masses already in the room, and even as Ruby crawled uselessly forward and extended her hand toward Blake's inert form, the Grimm came within feet of her. Groaning in horrific harmony, the creatures stopped over Blake's body, the first one beginning to reach its needlelike fingers toward her head…

"_**BLAKE!**_" Ruby screamed. Something inside her burst forth like a raging fire finally set free, and with a flash of power, the entire room was blanketed for a moment in blinding white light.

The Creatures of Grimm howled and hissed in pain, drawing back from the power of the Silver-Eyed Warrior. The spell momentarily broken, Blake jerked from her trance with a gasp. Ruby managed to clamber to her feet and helped Blake to hers. "I've got her!"

Maria watched from the stairwell, the glare only now beginning to fade in her goggles. "What just happened?"

Weiss skipped around her and took the stairs two at a time, but when she got to the top, the doors wouldn't budge. "They're locked!" she cried.

"Out of my way!" Yang replied, beginning to rush up the stairs.

Another shriek split the air, and everyone collapsed anew. Ruby and Blake fell side by side, the Relic clattering on Ruby's belt, while Yang tripped on the stairs, her arms feeling like lead. "No, no!" she cried uselessly, before the weakness overtook her entirely and she slumped. No one moved as the Grimm closed in.

Except for Maria. The old woman had slid down against the railing of the stairs, her body crying for rest, but her mind held off its demand, preoccupied on what she had just seen. She replayed the scene in her head: Ruby had cried out, the bright flash of blinding light, and the Grimm had recoiled… could it be…?

Scarcely daring to hope, Maria crawled forward to Ruby. Due to her goggles, everything she saw came through a bluish hue, so she had to ask the girl herself. She stared down at the girl's face. "Ruby, what color are your eyes?"

Ruby didn't focus on Maria. All she wanted to do was sleep. Everything felt so warm, so heavy. The question barely managed to penetrate her ears, but she absently replied, "They're… silver."

Maria gasped, a smile slipping to her lips despite everything. She gripped Ruby by the shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet. "You have a family? Friends?"

"What…?" Ruby murmured, her eyes drifting to the Grimm as their groaning grew louder, but Maria covered her ears and drew Ruby's gaze back to her own.

"Don't think about them," Maria told her, muffled by her hands. "Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way they make you feel! Focus!"

Ruby closed her eyes, let her thoughts drift to her teammates, to Yang and Qrow, to team JNPR, as Maria continued, "Life is beautiful. It is precious. And it must… be… protected."

The fire had been doused for a moment by the draining screeches, but at Maria's words, the heat returned, stronger than it had before, and Ruby's eyes snapped open as she gasped. With newfound determination and no fear, she sat up and stared down the Grimm with eyes of steel that began to shine white-hot. The Grimm recoiled, howling once more in pain, as they tried to flee the light that filled the room, but it was no use. The howling died away, and when the light faded, Maria and Ruby stared in wonder at the empty cellar before them, the last of the monsters dissolving into ash before their eyes.

Yang didn't waste the opportunity. As the monsters faded, the strength returned to her limbs, and with urgency she raced to the top of the stairs beside Weiss and gave the metal doors an uppercut with her bionic arm. The doors burst open, the chain holding them shut snapping, and the blonde practically sprinted up through the doors to safety with her team close on her heels.

Weiss looked around, startled to recognize the room where she and Ruby had found the food the night before. The door they had entered through had been the locked wine cellar, kept chained shut.

"We're back in the house?" Blake exclaimed, surprised.

They looked to the right and found Qrow slumped over the bar, already drunk. Ruby rushed to his side, rousing him once more with a rough shake of his shoulders. "Uncle Qrow, get up!" she cried.

Qrow groaned and staggered to his feet, slurring out, "Hey, get off me! What are you doing?"

"We're leaving, you idiot!" Maria snapped. "Come on!" With that, she exited as quickly as she could on her cane. Yang grabbed Blake by the hand and followed suit in order to get the bike started as quickly as possible. Weiss, however, didn't move, staring at the open cellar doors as a plan formed in her mind. "Not yet."

Out in front of the house, Oscar knelt and monitored a pressure gauge as he inflated a spare tire he'd found and attached to the trailer. The pump thrummed loudly in his ears, so it took him a moment to turn at the realization that someone was shouting his name. He looked to the doorway in surprise as Blake, Maria, and Yang sprinted down the steps to the bike and trailer. "We have to go, _now!_" Yang shouted. Something about the wild fear in her eyes kept him from objecting, and he quickly began to remove the pump.

In the bar, Weiss grabbed a couple of bottles of alcohol and hurled them towards the cellar doors. The bottles shattered, splashing their intoxicating content across the floor. Seeing a waste of good alcohol, Qrow deliriously complained, "Hey! Hey, what are you doing?!" Ruby held him back as Weiss approached the threshold to the cellar. The Grimm had apparently regrouped and were beginning to climb the stairs.

Before the could reach the top or loose one of their will-sapping shrieks, Weiss flicked Myrtenaster in her hand and cast a fire glyph in the air before her. The wave of flame whooshed with a sudden flare of heat as it rushed to the alcohol and eagerly ignited, cutting off the Grimm. The fire began to spread to old wood quickly and would soon engulf the room, the house, and perhaps the entire estate if the wind picked back up.

"Now we can leave," Weiss said. She and Ruby both linked an arm around each of Qrow's and dragged the inebriated Huntsman towards the door.

Qrow's drunken state kept him from truly fighting back, but he pulled weakly at them and slurred, "Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you? What's-" Only then did he look up and take in the sight of the apparitions beginning to emerge through the flames, their haggard faces and black, spindly arms engulfed by the blaze, and he stopped resisting out of sheer surprise.

Ruby and Weiss quickly escorted Qrow to the trailer, where the others were waiting. Once they were aboard, Yang gunned her engines and raced frantically out of the estate, leaving Brunswick Farms to burn behind them.

* * *

Once they were safely away from the horrors of the farm, the group finally began to calm down. However, silence felt uncomfortable, and it didn't take long for the shaken and disturbed girls to turn to Maria, who'd rescued them in the tunnels.

"The Apathy," Maria said, her legs dangling off the back of the trailer as they drove through the snow. "They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on." She recounted what she'd learned from the journals she'd read, the one in which she'd found the sketch of the Apathy now in Oscar's hands. "Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection. But in order to do that, he needed everyone calm… always."

Oscar had been reading the journal as Maria spoke. "'Managed to get two away from their pack,'" he recounted Bartleby's words. "'Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired.'"

Maria picked up grimly, "The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels… that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked." She reached out and took the journal from Oscar, staring at the blank pages that followed the words _I'm tired _where the farmer's hand had scrawled them. "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then, no one was left." With a sense of finality, Maria closed the book and threw it out into the snow, watching it shrink into nothing as they drove away.

"I'm… sorry about what I said," Weiss said in the pause. "About giving up."

Yang stopped driving for a moment. The others looked to her. "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."

"It's not your fault," Blake said. "It was those… things."

Maria shook her head. "I should have known. The signs were all there. But I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."

"Miss Calavera?" Maria looked up to see Ruby staring at her. "How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me… to make my eyes do that. How?"

Maria gave a small chuckle and smiled sadly at the young Huntress. When she spoke, her voice held a hollow fondness for years past. "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had silver eyes."

**Author's Note: Hands down, the scariest episode of RWBY to date. The idea of a Grimm that can affect your mental/emotional state is absolutely disturbing, and CRWBY did it so well. This is one of three uploads for the day, so stay tuned and enjoy! - Jek**


	82. The Grimm Reaper

**Chapter Seven: The Grimm Reaper**

**Haven Academy, Mistral**

_Shing… shink._

_Shing… shink._

_Shing… shink._

Neopolitan stared at the large, closed door of the Spring Maiden Vault. There was no breeze in the mostrous cavern in the hollows of Haven Academy, and yet the glowing orange blossoms of the tree into which the flat, rock door was built seemed to shimmer and shake of their own accord, as if they held some life of their own even in this dark, forgotten place and took pleasure in each other's company.

Neo found herself envying their content, as she had known it once.

_Shing… shink._

_Shing… shink._

_Shing… shink._

"Now you understand." Cinder's voice was an unpleasant disturbance to her thoughts, and the ice cream mercenary did not turn. Cinder sat behind her on a large rock that had fallen from the ceiling during the titanic battle of the Maidens during the Battle of Haven. The Fall Maiden held in her hand a small, glass knife, conjured up from her powers, and she was idly twirling it between her fingers with a metallic swishing as she spoke. "I've got to get the Relic before it can be secured in Atlas. It's the only way that Salem-" The _shing-shink _of the blade paused abruptly, accompanied by a short, frustrated sigh. "It's the only way _we _can accomplish our goal."

Neo turned away from the door to the Vault, no longer covered in golden fans now that its purpose had been served. The girl was unsure of where she fit into all of this talk of Maidens and Relics, of this being named Salem and her ultimate plan. She certainly had heard of no Salem when she and Ro- when she had been in Cinder's employ before. However, Cinder's display at the Spiders' den had been frighteningly demonstrative, and though Neo was far more than a stone's throw from trusting Cinder, it seemed far wiser to hear her out than to risk another, more lethal encounter with those powers.

As if in concurrence with her thoughts, Cinder's hand curled into a fist around the knife as Neo began to walk forward. "You're not the only one who wants Ruby dead, but unfortunately Salem does not feel the same way." Cinder seemed physically pained by her words as she glowered at the dagger in her hand. "I've been…" The glass began to glow red hot and melted between her fingers, dripping like syrup to the ground. "_Instructed_… not to kill her. But you?" Her lips curled into a deadly smirk. "You have no such orders. You can do as you please." The melted glass became ash in an instant, on a whim, and disappeared on whatever scant breeze could worm its way into the Vault.

Cinder stood, stepped toward the shorter woman. "Help me get to Atlas. Help me _find her._ And the rest is up to you."

Neo mulled over the words. The woman before her had employed him. She had given him his orders, allowed him to be captured, put him on Ironwood's ship… all for her plan. However, she also wielded her powers, and Neo was not stupid. Cinder could not be beaten here with full Aura and her Maiden abilities.

And then there was Little Red. Neo did not see much through the storm of feathers and flesh she had fallen through that night over Vale, but she saw the young Huntress, the _girl_, who had tricked her, and she watched as that ship went down into the city. Neo had found the hat, and the only thing she saw in its red band was the girl with the scythe.

Her decision made, Neo extended her hand. Cinder, wearing a pleased smirk, shook it. They were on a mission. They would fly to Atlas, they would find the children, and then… and _then_, Neo would make Little Red pay for taking away the one thing she had ever loved.

And if Cinder ended up with a knife in her back in the chaos of it all… now that would just bring a tear to her eye.

* * *

**Near Wind Path, Kingdom of Mistral, Decades Ago…**

_Death surveyed the bridge. It was old, very old, likely one of the first built when the settlers of the area began to move inland toward what would appropriately be named Wind Path decades earlier. The wind was not fierce, but it sang with a noticeable howl, lonely and forlorn, heralding the arrival of the bridge's latest sojourner. _

_The planks felt sturdy enough, but they creaked beneath Death's boots nonetheless. Her blue cloak waved in the chorus, caressed by the winds hands. None appeared to pay audience to Death's presence… until a wailing shriek disrupted the song of the wind._

_Hearing the challenge, Death gazed out into the fog-shrouded mountains that jutted up like guardians from the cloud-obscured earth below. Hollow sockets stared out from a bone-white visage beneath the hooded cloak, and from behind the mask, Death made out the shape of a Nevermore as it flapped its way toward her. The beast was enormous, likely hundreds of years old, and it cried again its displeasure at having its solitude disturbed._

_Death did not apologize. Death did not speak. Instead, she reached within her cloak and removed her scythe, the blade curved and wicked. She watched with interest as the beast drew near and waited for the last possible second, then withdrew her second scythe and leaped as the bird crashed into the bridge. The feeble ropes snapped under its onslaught, the wood dropping away beneath her feet even as she flipped backward and away._

_The wind held her again as she fell to herself below, but rather than panicking, she hurled one of her weapons upward. The scythe flew true and sank into the Nevermore's side, and with the click of a button, the Dust in its head began to glow with that of her remaining weapon still in hand. The bird gave a perturbed squawk as it felt the pull of the gravity Dust upon it, even as Death began to ascend upward, drawn by one weapon to the other._

_With a cry, she seized her other weapon from the Grimm's flesh as she flew above the bird, then fired both scythes simultaneously and rocketed back down, landing on the monster's left wing. Viciously, she dug both blades into the creature's back and held on as it shrieked its protest at the unwanted passenger._

_Death pulled upward on her scythes as if they were reigns, steering the bird among the rocky pillars. One scythe was flung once more through the air, this time to bury itself into one of the pillars. The Dust glowed again, and the bird gave a helpless cry of pain as it was slammed into the cliff. Dazed by the blow, the Grimm began to spiral out of control, and was only guided roughly to the ground by a third draw of weapon to weapon. The beast slammed to the surface of a rocky canyon and lay still, its body having kicked up a layer of rock dust from its violent landing._

_With a satisfied sight, Death withdrew her scythe from its skull and slung the weapon over her shoulder. She glanced down at the vanquished beast, the froze. The glowing eyes, open in what she had assumed was post mortem glaze, twitched with life. With a surprise grunt, she flipped off of the monster's head as it reared up and nipped at her with its enormous beak. It pecked at the earth where she landed and swiped at her with its clawed wings, catching her with the second blow and hurling her across the canyon. The scythe flew from Death's hand, and she found herself looking in a mirror as the Nevermore lunged forward quickly._

_Death was quicker. From behind her skulled visage there came a silver light that filled the entire canyon in a blinding glow. When the light subsided, Death stood and found herself face to face with the Nevermore, now frozen to stone and hovering in its middair lunge. Gravity took its toll, and the statue toppled to the ground, smashing into a million pieces._

_Death stared at the fallen monster a moment longer, disturbed at the cold sweat she felt on the small of her back and beneath her mask on her brow. _"Foolish!" _she chided mentally. _"Overconfident." _However, all was well that ended well, and without a word, she retrieved her weapons, walking to the first and using it to call the second to her hands._

_Her reflexes kicked in a millisecond after she heard the _ka-peng! _of the shot, her weapons darting up to catch the round on one blade. She turned to regard the new arrivals, taking in the sight of three of them standing before her. They were all men: the one armed with the rifle had just taken the shot at her, while the other two wielded a sword and a massive hammer respectively._

"_Well that's a fancy trick, now, in'it?" came the accented voice of the fourth behind her. Death glanced over her shoulder to take in the sight of the apparent leader, a Faunus woman with green scales covering her face and a straight, spiky line of green hair down the center of her otherwise smooth head. A pair of gold-hilted swords hung at her back, and an old windup clock rested on her hip. She lifted a hand and crushed a fragment of the frozen Nevermore. "'Fraid it comes with a price, though, love."_

_The others drew the noose in tighter around her from behind. Death stared at the Faunus impassively from behind her mask. _"I don't think you realize who I am," _she warned. _

_The Faunus grinned viciously, displaying razor sharp teeth coated in metal. "'Course I do." She drew the clock from her hip and wound the hands up one minute, then put it back on her belt. "You're the Grimm Reaper. And these… are the last sixty seconds of your life." Her hand snaked down and tapped the clock, which began ticking away the seconds, before she drew both swords from her back and leered at Death, her Aura shimmering over her body._

_There was exactly one moment of calm, followed by chaos._

_The rifleman took fire as the Faunus rushed forward, sword clashing with scythe as she and Death locked blades. Death swivelled on her feet and knocked the swords away, aiming to finish the fight quickly and cleanly as she brought her scythe down on the neck of her opponent. However, instead of dealing a swift and brutal demise, the blade bounced off of the Faunus's skin with a glow of her Aura and flew from Death's hand. Taking the moment of surprise to her advantage, Death's assailant leaped forward and landed a two-footed kick on her midsection._

_She flew backward into the middle of the three underlings, calling her other blade back to her hand just in time to catch another round before it could make its mark. The sword-bearer rushed in, but she easily knocked him to the ground. Frustrated, he drew his own rifle from his back and opened fire with his comrade, but Death was far to quick and batted every shot aside. She approached the swordsman and disarmed him of his rifle, then clipped him beneath his chin and sent him spinning into darkness on the ground with a well-placed kick._

_The other gunman barely realized her blade was heading toward his face before he was thrown to the canyon floor, even as she dodged the hammer of the third. Thinking quickly, she threw one scythe behind him and boomeranged herself around to it before delivering him a precise blow to the jaw that put him out of commission. However, there was not a moment to rest, as the Faunus rushed back in at that moment with a smile of sadistic glee and once more locked their blades._

_From behind came the rifleman, still conscious but now armed with a sword and aiming a wide swipe at her back, easily dodges as she flipped away from the Faunus's blades and knocked him back to the ground with two quick strikes. The bloodthirsty Faunus darted back in and managed to sneak in two good kicks, the second knocking Death back and cracking her Aura._

_However, she righted herself and spun the two scythes in the air before her, joining them at the hilts to make a double-bladed staff. The moment her hand closed on the staff, she went on the offensive, parrying the rifleman's loping swings and balancing the Faunus's swords with her off blade. She managed to deal a final blow to the man's head, knocking him out for good, and then faced down her last remaining adversary. The two women clashed in an impressive display of swordsmanship from both, ending in another blade lock. However, the Faunus was through playing. Unexpectedly, she reared back with her razor sharp teeth and bit down hard on the scythe-staff, breaking the weapon in two. With her foe disoriented, she snapped her head up, shattering Death's mask._

_Death had merely a moment to look to the Faunus with surprised silver eyes before the merciless blades crossed her vision and sight was forever replaced with pain._

_Tick…_

_Tick…_

_Tick…_

_Briing._

_Death screamed, already feeling the hot, wet lines of blood making sticky trails down her face. She collapsed back onto the ground, her pained wails echoing around the canyon. The clock's ring was silenced at the push of a button, and the Faunus let out a relieved breath as her Aura shimmered and her time of invulnerability ended. Then, she strode forward, eyes glittering like the cat who'd cornered the canary._

"_Well, it was a close call, I'll give you that," she sneered. Her blades dragged into the stone at her feet as she approached her helpless prey. Death, reeling from the shock and pain, reached out blindly and grabbed one of her nearby scythes, firing randomly in the direction of the other woman's voice until her weapon went empty with a _click_. The Faunus easily sidestepped the few shots that were close to the mark, and Death began to whimper in dread as her foe drew nearer in the new darkness of blindness. _

"_Y'know," came the voice, sounding as brittle as broken glass, "the only reason my master wants you dead is cuz of your eyes." Unseen, she grinned nastily and chuckled. "But seein' as you ain't got 'em no more, you might be able to convince me to spare your life."_

_Angered at the toying, Death threw her scythe forward in desperation, but was rewarded only by the soft _thunk _of blade on earth where she wished she had heard blade on flesh. The Faunus chuckled again. "Well I respect that. A fighter to the end." _

_Death paused, trying to connect thoughts even through the literally blinding pain. Her ruined gaze narrowed as a last-ditch plan sprang to mind. Blindly, she grabbed for her other scythe and felt its hilt beneath her fingers. She ran her hand up the staff until she felt the nub of a button, and pressed it._

_There was a hum as the blade she had thrown before hurtled back to its master and a sickening, wet _thunk _as it struck something. Death knew what she had done, and now she allowed the anger to flow through her._

_Even as a dry gasp escaped the Faunus's lips and she began to fall forward, Death grabbed her remaining scythe and did what she was known for: she reaped._

* * *

**Forest Near Argus, Kingdom of Mistral, Present Day… **

"But I wasn't."

The woman who had once called herself Death sat at the edge of the trailer, letting her feet dangle as she watched the snowy forest pass her by. Her false eyes glanced at the frozen evergreens, taunting her like the spirits of long-dead enemies from the grave. "I went into hiding soon after."

Though she didn't look back at the children, all of them stared at her with wide eyes. Even Qrow was astounded. "I can't believe it," the Huntsman murmured in awe, his drunken fugue having worn off. You… You're the Grimm Reaper. You were a legend! And then you disappeared."

The group looked to Qrow at this surprising revelation. Oscar, confused, asked, "How exactly does a legend just disappear?"

Qrow didn't answer directly, still staring at Maria's cloak and her white-haired head. "You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just laying low. Eventually we came to accept that you were probably dead… but the stories about you. I based my _weapon _off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper."

Maria gave a forlorn glance in the man's direction. "Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way."

While Qrow's face soured from the remark, Blake looked to her incredulously. "How can you say that?"

Maria answered in a voice colored by the winds and wears of time. "Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end, but after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight; afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started." She closed her photoreceptors sadly. "You shouldn't aspire to be like me. Especially when some of you are clearly stronger already.

"It's comforting seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."

There was silence for a moment, before Ruby replied, "Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did."

Maria looked at her thoughtfully, but before she could answer, everyone started at the sound of a Scroll pinging. Confused, Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out her Scroll. Her eyes lit up as she looked to the caller ID. "It's Jaune!"

Yang slid to a stop so the call could go through smoothly, even as Weiss mused, "How?" There should have been no way for a signal to go through with the CCT system down.

Ruby put the device to her ear. "H-Hello?"

Jaune's voice on the other side came through clearly and joyfully. "_Ruby! Oh-ho-ho thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!_"

"The city? Wait!" Ruby looked at her connection status, which displayed a weak but steady bar in the upper corner. Local comms were up, which had to mean civilization was nearby. She lifted the Scroll up toward a small hill ahead of them and the signal increased.

Without delay, Yang put Bumblebee back into gear and motored ahead, stopping with her passengers at the top of the hill. With the golden sky of early twilight overhead, Yang found herself able to smile for the first time that day at the sight of a coastal city on the edge of a sparkling ocean protected by a massive wall before them. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus."

* * *

Once they had arrived to the entrance of Argus, Qrow displayed his Huntsman paperwork and secured them entrance to the city, while Yang locked her bike and the trailer in a locked shed outside the walls. The sheds back right up to the monumental walls guarding the city, and as Oscar craned his head back, he could just make out the sight of white-bodied Atlesian Knight 230s standing silent guard atop the wall.

"_Cute Boy OZZZ!_" came a thrilled shout, and as Oscar turned, he yelped as he was tackled to the ground by the energetic pink bundle of excitement that was Nora Valkyrie. Closeby were Ren and Jaune, who greeted their friends with relief.

"Are you all okay?" Ren asked as he pulled Yang into a gentle embrace.

Jaune, who was hugging Blake, said, "We were so worried!"

"It's been kind of a crazy trip," Yang admitted.

"That's an understatement," Weiss murmured beside Blake.

Nora had clambered off of a dazed Oscar and took in the sight of Maria Calavera. "Wait, who's the old lady?"

As introductions were made and more greetings were exchanged, Jaune looked over to see Ruby staring at him with a small smile. Their friends' small talk faded away as the two approached and embraced each other in a tight hug. Jaune drew away first, his lip quivering in sudden emotion.

"Hey," said Ruby, seeing his tears and giving him a reassuring smile. "I promised, didn't I?"

Despite himself, Jaune smiled. "Yeah, you did," he said, wiping his eyes as he looked down at his fellow leader. "It's good to see you guys."

With everyone now situated, Jaune, Ren, and Nora led the way into Argus and to a small trolley station, where the reunited teams boarded a hovercar and made their way through Argus. The small city was a fortress from the outside, but within, it carried a charming, homely atmosphere. It seemed as if the town were constantly locked in Christmas, with snow-lined sidewalks, evergreen plants, old-fashioned metal lamp posts, and block upon block of red, brick, residential buildings.

"It's a lot bigger than I'd thought it would be," Yang admitted as they took in the sights and sounds of the city.

Ever the encyclopedia of knowledge, Ren supplied, "It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant."

"No way!" Ruby exclaimed. "But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this

big away from the main Kingdom?"

"Well, it was!" Jaune replied. "Until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well, but colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide."

Ren took up the explanation as they passed a small theatre. "The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city. While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady."

"Well, until recently," Nora put in, staring out at the small mountain in the bay that housed Atlas's military base. The hovering trolley slowed at a stop, allowing the troop to disembark.

"We should probably start looking for a ship," Blake announced to no one in particular.

Oscar glanced at Jaune, the last one to exit the car. "So, where have you guys

been staying?"

The blond leader put a sheepish hand to his head and chuckled. "Uhm…"

"There you are!" called a woman's voice. As the trolley pulled away, the group looked across the street to see a woman standing on the corner. As she raised a hand to wave in greeting, the new arrivals took in the noticeable sight of a head of blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes that she shared with Jaune. In her arms she held a toddler with slightly darker skin and black hair, who giggled at them.

The girls of Team RWBY could scarcely dare to believe it. "Is that…?" Blake began haltingly.

Jaune waved back awkwardly. "Hey, Saph."

Ruby darted to his side with all the giddiness of a kid in a candy shop. Her eyes darted back and forth between the woman and her friend, and she gasped in wide-eyed realization.

* * *

"I can't believe we're meeting your sister! I have so many questions!" Ruby exclaimed later in the living room of Saphron Cotta-Arc. On the floor, Yang and Weiss appeared mesmerized by Adrian, Saphron's son, and Yang flew a toy Bullhead through the air as she played with the boy.

Nora wore a sly smirk. "Oh, I can give you the rundown later," she assured Ruby.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune asked, arms crossed crossly across his chest.

For her part, Saphron giggled at her brother's apparent chagrin. "What? I love telling stories about my baby brother!" She baby-talked the words _baby brother _as she reached up to pinch his cheek.

Jaune growled and waved her hand away. "I am not a baby!" he replied tersely, pointing a finger to Adrian. "_That _is a baby!"

Appearing to know he was being put down upon, the child mirrored his uncle's earlier pose and folded his arms, puffing out his cheeks in a way that drove Weiss and Yang wild.

As her teammates continued to coo and fawn over the baby, Blake looked at a picture on a nearby shelf, displaying a none-too thrilled Jaune in his childhood surrounded by seven rambunctious blonde girls. "So, Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?"

Saph stopped pinching her brother's cheeks for a moment to respond with a smile, "Yep, moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home. I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis."

"I-uh… ugh…" Jaune trailed off uselessly.

"Aww! _You didn't deny it!_" Saphron sing-songed even as the two got into a small shoving match of hands to faces like they were still children, interrupted only by the sound of the front door opening. The students and adults looked to the new arrival, a woman with the same darker skin tone and black hair of Adrian who carried a bundle of grocery bags in her hands.

"Everyone, this is my wife Terra Cotta," Saphron introduced.

The gathering offered polite greetings. Terra smiled at them. "Well, hello there. Quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hon, could I get some help, please?" Saphron stood and followed her into the kitchen. Team JNPR soon followed and began to help make a platter of sandwiches for the guests as Terra and Saphron returned to the living room.

"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss asked.

"Of course! We're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses!" Saphron replied.

Terra agreed, bouncing Adrian on her knee. "You all risk so much to keep people like us safe, it's the least we can do." She glanced at Qrow. "Especially for such an elite Huntsman as yourself. Although I will say, I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even… legal?"

Qrow had been staring at the wall, half-tuned out, when Ruby's elbow in his ribs jolted him back to the conversation. "Uhh, of course," he replied. "Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same Academy as them. Lemme tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age. Well not better than me, specifically, but a lot of students-"

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby cut off his ramblings as Team JNPR entered with their platters of sandwiches and she shoved a sandwich into his hands. The girls and Oscar eagerly ate, far better than the meager dinner of canned goods they had found the night before at Brunswick Farms.

For a moment, the conversation died as hungry bellies began to be filled, the silence broken by a faint buzzing as Terra passed Adrian to Saphron and took her Scroll out. "Excuse me, I'll be right back," she said with a tired sigh, standing to walk into a hallway and take the phone call.

"Is everything okay?" Blake asked Saphron, noticing the stress in Terra's voice.

"Oh, yeah, it will be," Saphron replied as the baby squirmed on her lap. "Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there." She looked down at Adrian and baby talked, "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed?"

"_Me!_" Terra said in a harsh whisper as she briefly ducked back into the living room before returning to her call.

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Saph asked Ruby, who she had picked up was something of the leader for the students.

"Well," the reaper replied, pausing to gulp down her food so as not to talk with a

full mouth, "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base."

Nora paused mid-bite of her sandwich, both she and Ren looking to Jaune with unfortunate expressions. Jaune's face was similarly downturned. "So, we kind of already tried that, and… it didn't go _super _great."

"Come on," Yang said, "it couldn't be that bad!"

* * *

The next day, Team RWBY stood outside the Atlesian military base of Argus, watching helplessly as the iron gate to the complex shut in their faces.

Weiss shook her head at Yang. "You had to say it, didn't you."

**Author's Note: Won't make a big deal about it, just gonna once again reiterate that this writing and RT's story line do not necessarily reflect my personal views and opinions. **

**It was nice to see Maria's backstory, and to get the confirmation that she was a silver-eyed warrior. Second upload of the day! One more coming your way! - Jek**


	83. Dead End

**Chapter Eight: Dead End**

"Come on!" Yang protested to the two guards on the other side of the gate, gripping the bars with both hands. "You didn't even hear us out!" Upon their arrival to the Atlesian military outpost, Team RWBY had received the welcome that Jaune, Ren, and Nora had warned them to expect: closed doors and deaf ears unwilling to listen. Even when Qrow mentioned that he personally knew General Ironwood, the two guards, a pair of broad-shouldered muscle heads in full dress uniform, had refused to even allow entrance.

The guards remained unmoving, hands locked stiffly behind their backs. "Our orders are clear," one said with crisp military pride. "The Mistral-Atlas border is closed. Please!"

His compatriot piped up to finish his sentence. "Have a good day!"

"But-!" Yang began.

"_A good day!_" the guards cut off in stereo.

"Hey," Qrow said gruffly, "if you don't wanna believe that I'm friends with Ironwood-"

"_General _Ironwood!"

The Huntsman nearly rolled his eyes. "Yeah, General Ironwood, then fine. But look, we have Weiss Schnee with us," he gestured to Weiss," and we're trying to get her home safely." The former heiress was none too pleased with the ruse, but the group had agreed it would, likely be their best shot of making and progress toward reaching Atlas.

The two guards glanced at each other. "Approach."

Weiss looked at Blake for a moment, as if to make sure they meant her. Blake shrugged, and Weiss walked forward to the gate. The two guards approached in lockstep, then bent at the waist and peered down at her. Weiss held still for an uncomfortable second as she was scrutinized, before the guards straightened and announced, "Very well."

"You may speak with our commanding officer."

"We will fetch her at once!"

The two rotated on their heels and marched away, a fading "Hup! Hup!" chant in their wake. The group eyed their departure with apparent confusion. "They were… kind of-" Blake mused.

"Super weird?" Ruby finished. "Uh, yeah."

"Hmm…" All eyes turned to Maria, who had put a hand to her chin.

"What's wrong?" asked Oscar.

"Well, I… _may _know this commanding officer," Maria admitted slowly.

"That's good, isn't it?" Ruby asked. "I mean, if she's your friend, then maybe she'd be more willing to help us."

"I wouldn't exactly call us… friends."

"Acquaintances?" Weiss asked.

"Not quite."

"Colleagues?" Blake ventured.

"Warmer."

"Enemies?" Yang guessed hesitantly.

Maria snapped her fingers with a grin. "That's the one!"

"Wait, what?"

Maria looked to Oscar with a sheepish smile. "Oh, yes, I come through here about once every ten years to get my eyes checked up in Atlas." She tapped on her goggles and frowned. "You bring outside cashews on _one _flight, and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!"

"You've gotta be kidding me," Qrow grumbled.

"Now, now, let's not give up hope yet," Maria consoled with a smile. "Maybe she's dead." The group was no more relieved by that sentiment.

However, when the gates cranked open a moment later, their spirits lifted slightly. The two guards had returned, and with all the pomp and regale of the Atlesian military they announced, "Introducing! Special Operative! _Caroline Cordovin!_" Between the two men stood a short, older woman, back held stiffly straight in pride beneath a smart white coat. Her hair had a more silver quality to it than Maria's pure white, but as she strode forward in her brown boots, it was almost comical to view how close in height she and Maria were.

However, Cordovin's face held no mirth as she stared severely at Maria. "Witch," she said after a pause.

"She-devil," Maria replied with equal contempt.

Cordovin looked past her to the children around. "Hmm, I see you've chosen larger contraband to smuggle this time."

Maria grinned snidely. "Oh, Cordo, they say time changes people, but I see you've still got that stick right up your-"

"H-Hello!" Ruby frantically cut off as she jumped in front of Maria. "Miss, uh, Cordovin. My name is Ruby Rose, and I was wondering if you would hear us out about-"

"I've al_ready _heard what your other little friends had to say, Miss Rose," Cordovin interrupted, small, pug nose upturned. She glanced past Ruby, her eyes widening angrily as she caught sight of Jaune, Ren, and Nora standing some distance behind. "What are you doing back here?! I thought I told you to leave!"

Ren and Jaune grabbed Nora's arms to hold her back as the vibrant redhead shouted back, "And I told you we wouldn't rest until you let us through!"

"Nice to see you again as well!" Ren tossed out with a nervous wave.

It was strange to feel looked down upon by someone nearly two feet shorter than you, but Cordovin pulled it off as she glanced up at Ruby and said condescendingly, "You _civilians _are clearly incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus, so allow me to say this slowly, with smaller words: this base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus-" her fingers pointed every which way as she spoke, "-are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas! And it is my duty to uphold them as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task."

"Such wit!" said Guard One.

"Such tenacity!" said Guard Two.

Maria's grin didn't falter. "Or maybe Atlas just wanted to get you as far from the Kingdom as possible."

Cordovin growled. "You're just like the rest of these Argus ingrates! This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our Atlesian ancestors, and what do we get in return? The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats!"

"Please!" Ruby pleaded. "We know your Kingdom had nothing to do with the Fall of Beacon! We were there."

"No one's happy about the Atlas borders or embargo," Weiss continued. Absurdly, her mind drifted to her father and the General yelling in Schnee Manor's study so many months ago, but she shook the memory away. "But I know General Ironwood is just worried. It's why we need to talk to-"

"The General is no _coward!_" Cordo retorted indignantly at the first time of Atlesian resolve being questioned. "Atlas is strong! If all the Kingdoms plan to make us their enemy, then so be it! Atlas will prevail!"

If they could, the guards snapped to even further attention. "Atlas will prevail!"

Yang deadpanned at them. "Do you guys seriously have to do that?"

Cordovin took a breath and offered the impression of a smile. "If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then of course, the Atlas military will escort her home." The 'smile' disappeared. "But the Kingdom will not be responsible for her friends of," her eyes flicked derisively to Blake, "_questionable _character."

Blake's ears curled in self-conscious shame, while Weiss and Yang glared at Cordo in shocked offense. "And what's that supposed to mean?" the heiress shot back.

"It means we're done here." With that, Cordo and her escort withdrew inside the base, the fence slamming shut once more in the kids' faces.

From the rear, Nora lifted an accusatory finger. "Oh yeah? Well, you're base looks… like a big dumb boot!" she said with a stamp of her feet.

"Way to show her, Nora," Jaune muttered.

Weiss's head dipped at the inexplicable feeling that she'd let her team down. "I don't…"

"Weiss." Ruby's eyes were steel staring into her friends. "I told you we wouldn't leave your side for a second." She placed a hand on Weiss's shoulder. "We'll find a way to Atlas. Together."

After a moment, Weiss managed to smile and gave an affirmative nod. However, she and Ruby both turned as Qrow sauntered past them, hands in his pockets and back bent into a weak bow. "So, where are we going now?" Ruby asked her uncle.

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Nora seconded.

Rather than providing some solution, Qrow turned and glared at the group over his shoulder. "The plan? The plan just got shut on our face three times over." He tossed a flippant hand and kept walking. "I'm going for a drink."

Ruby's brow furrowed as she began to follow after him. "Uncle Qrow, I really think that we should try and come up with something…" Her uncle didn't even look at her, and she trailed off and stopped as he walked away. "Together," she finished uselessly.

"What's his problem?" Jaune asked. "It's not your fault we can't go on."

"If he's gonna be a jerk, then we'll just come up with something without him," Nora agreed. "I mean, we've got Ozpin with us! He usually knows what to do."

Oscar's face fell. Weiss glanced at Blake and Yang. They didn't know yet.

The JNPR trio noticed their reactions. "What is it?" asked Ren.

* * *

**Cotta-Arc Residence, Argus, Kingdom of Mistral**

The wall cracked under the force of Jaune Arc's punch as a sound of fury and indignation escaped him in a howled grow.

"Jaune!" Ruby rebuked sharply.

The blonde paid her no mind. "Everything we did was for nothing!" he spat, breathing hard. Upon arriving back at Saphron and Terra's house from their meeting with Cordovin, Team RWBY and Oscar had sat JNPR down in the living room and told them everything that had happened during their separation, including the disturbing revelations revealed to them by Jinn and the Relic of Knowledge. Needless to say, the trio were not taking the news well.

"That's not true!" Blake began from the couch.

"Really?" said Nora beside her, lifting her head out of her hands. "Cuz it sure does sound like it."

"I…" Blake didn't have an answer.

Leaning against the wall behind them, Ren spoke up. "If Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to win this?"

The question hung in the air in the silence, the tension feeling thick enough to be cut with a knife. Oscar hid in the threshold between the front door and the living room, holding his arm. He glanced at Ruby, disheartened by the hopelessness he read on her face.

"Wow," Jaune said into the silence. "Great plan, everyone." He turned bitterly toward the window.

Hesitantly, Oscar stepped forward and ventured, "Look, none of this is great, we know. But we're not the bad guys here."

"Are we sure about that?"

Oscar's eyes flicked to Jaune, scared of the violence in his tone. "W-What?"

Jaune turned, and his eyes held poison. "He's in your head, isn't he?" He began to stalk forward, hands balled into fists as he approached the farmboy. "Did you already know about this?" he demanded.

"He didn't know any of it!" Weiss defended beside Oscar, moving to try and hold Jaune back from the boy with her hands, but Jaune was beyond hearing her as he shoved past her and grabbed Oscar by the shoulders.

Oscar made of plaintive little "_Ack!_" as he was thrust roughly against the wall, hsi collar held in Jaune's hands. "How much longer can we even trust him?!" Jaune asked the room.

"Jaune!" Yang said, taken aback by his brutality.

"How do we even know it's even him?!" He began shaking Oscar by the collar. "What if we've been talking to that _liar _this whole time?!"

"_**Jaune!**_" Ruby's voice sounded like a gunshot in the room. Jaune turned and glared fiercely at her for a moment, but wavered when she held his gaze with her own. He turned back toward Oscar and, after a moment, released him, appearing slightly ashamed of his actions. Oscar merely kept his hands held up, wary of incurring Jaune's wrath again as he panted to catch his breath. The Huntsman's face hardened, and without a word, he turned and marched up the stairs. A door slammed in his wake a moment later.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Yang asked tentatively toward Nora, who had a hand to her head.

Exasperated, the normally bubbly Valkyrie threw up her hands. "I don't know!" She hopped off the couch and followed Jaune up the stairs.

Ren moved after her with a pointed stare at the girls. "I think it would be best if we had some time to ourselves." With that, he disappeared up the stairs as well, leaving Team RWBY and Oscar with the fallout of their meeting.

The silence that followed was heavy and awkward. "Maybe we could all use some space," Blake said finally. No one said anything, everyone seeming shell-shocked. Slowly, the girls began to file out of the room to different locations in the house, leaving Oscar staring sadly at the front door.

* * *

Ruby slid the glass door shut behind her, Scroll held to her ear as she walked out into the backyard. The cool air felt relieving after the heated argument inside, but her frustration persisted at her uncle's lack of response. "Come on, please," she pleaded with her Scroll, but all that appeared above Qrow's picture was _No Response._

"Ugh, where are you?!" Ruby shouted in frustration, throwing her Scroll across the yard into the grass.

"You know, I came out here to avoid the yelling," came the soft voice of Maria Calavera from her right. Ruby looked over to see the wizened warrior sitting beneath the shade of a tree, a plate of fruit on a table beside her.

Sheepishly, Ruby apologized, "Sorry. The others went to get food for tonight."

"Why not go with them?"

"I don't know." She hopped down and sat on the small raised porch, feeling so tired and drained. "I don't know anything. What do I tell Jaune and his team when we don't even have a plan? Qrow's out drinking, Ozpin hasn't come back, and even if he did, I don't know that I could trust him." A small wind chime tinkled softly in the breeze overhead. "I mean, there's always Jinn, but, we only have one more question we can ask her. I feel like I'm letting everyone down…" She trailed off.

Maria studied her for a moment. "You know, you don't give yourself enough credit."

Ruby chuckled. "Oh, heh, thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

The girl straightened. "Eh, what?"

If she had eyes, Maria might have rolled them. "If I have to explain it to you, it will just defeat the purpose." She rolled her neck, getting rid of the stiffness of old bones. "But, if you're tired of not knowing anything, how about we discuss those eyes of yours?"

Ruby started. With everything that had happened since arriving at Argus, she'd nearly forgotten. "Oh, uh, yes ma'am!" she said, hopping up and standing at prompt attention. "I'd be honored."

"Sit back down, for pete's sake!" Maria chided lightly. Ruby obeyed, kneeling in the grass before her. "Let's start with what you do know. Tell me."

"Uhh…" Ruby reached back to her memory, to a day when she'd awoken from a coma to her uncle at her bedside, suddenly telling her that she had frozen a massive Grimm on top of Beacon Tower. "Silver-eyed people are supposed to be legendary warriors. Or something. And at the Fall of Beacon, I turned a giant Wyvern into stone."

Maria lifted a hand to her goggles and shook her head in consternation. "Ho, boy."

Ruby spread her arms then crossed them over her chest in defense. "Look, if I already knew everything I wouldn't be asking for help!"

"Yelling," Maria scolded. Ruby cringed at her mistake, before Maria consoled, "It's not your fault. I had my father to teach me, and even he didn't have all the answers. But what he told me makes sense, given what I've seen."

"Was he a Huntsman too?"

Maria looked to the sky with a fond smile of reminiscence. "It wasn't really an official title back in his day. I only knew him as an old soldier and an excellent teacher. I never attended one of those fancy academies of yours, but I scored higher on the license exam than any other Huntsman or Huntress that day."

Ruby smiled. "He must have been proud."

Maria grinned and scoffed, "He would have scolded me for showing off." She paused for a moment, staring at her skull-tipped cane. "He'd never been able to find much information about our abilities. Just legends of warriors whose eyes shined like mirrors, reflecting the light of the world onto darkness." She watched as a blue butterfly fluttered over to her plate and landed on a piece of fruit, extending its tongue to suck at the sweet juices. "He found so little, in fact, that it made him cautious. How could such powerful bloodlines be so rare, unless something was actively seeking to destroy them?"

"Salem," Ruby murmured in understanding.

"I tried to keep my powers a secret," Maria said sadly. "But as you know, it wasn't enough. I owe my life to my training and my Semblance. At the end of the day, those are still your most powerful tools."

A thought occurred to Ruby. "What is your Semblance?"

Maria's hand darted out even as a lemon fell from the tree overhead and into her waiting palm. She chuckled. "Preflexes. A silly name I came up with. Hard to explain, but I can sense everything better than most, and react to attacks almost before they happen." She regarded the fruit in her hand. "Combine that with my training, and secret ability to turn Grimm into stone… or blind them… or vaporize them… and that's how you become the Grimm Reaper!"

Ruby stared at her in awe. "So… how do I lazer beam monsters with my eyeballs?" she asked eagerly.

She was rewarded by a smack on the head from Maria's cane with a grunt. "First, you stop thinking like that!" She pointed at Ruby with the cane. "I want you to think of all the times you've triggered your powers. What did those moments have in common?"

Ruby rubbed the sore spot on her head. "I… was scared, and stressed. Is it emotional? Like unlocking a Semblance?"

"It's emotional," Maria said, "but more focused than that. Think. What is it you wanted?"

Ruby's hands clasped in her lap. "I wanted to protect my friends.

Maria's photoreceptors narrowed. "Precisely! It is the desire to preserve life which fuels the light inside you. And to make no mistake, it is light. Preservation is an extension of creation, or, at the very least, an enemy of destruction. The Creatures of Grimm were made by the God of Darkness, but your light comes from his brother."

"How do you know that?"

"I always knew how to use the light," Maria explained, "but never why it only worked on the Grimm. Then, Jinn showed us her vision. Were you paying attention?"

Ruby closed her eyes and thought back to the forest clearing, back to the vision of the past. She remembered watching beside the pools of blackness as the Brother of Darkness transformed into a fearsome dragon and the Grimm leaped at the Brother of Light… who vanished in a flash of white light to be replaced by a golden dragon as the Grimm dissolved around him, and within her mind's eye, she saw the God of Light's silver gaze. "The God of Light… his eyes!" she murmured in understanding. She stood from her kneeling position before her new mentor with an eager smile. "Okay. Where do we start?"

"Well, not here," Maria said. She stretched out a finger and caught the butterfly from her fruit dish on its tip, staring at its fluttering wings. "The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. Meaning the only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire. But, what you can do is focus on creating a state of mind that you can tap into when you need it. Don't think about your light as a means of destroying evil, but as a way to protect the people of Remnant."

Ruby thought over the words, but shook her head at another memory. "But, that can't be right."

"Hm?"

"You said the light only reacts to Grimm, but… I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder."

Maria seemed thoughtful. "Interesting," she mused. "Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"

"Ruby!" Ruby turned as her name was called, seeing Yang in the open doorway to the house.

She walked up the steps and inside to see Blake and Weiss with her sister, all three of them looking worried. "Oh, hey, guys."

Jaune, Nora, and Ren appeared at her side, drawn by Yang's call. "What's going on?" Jaune asked.

Blake regarded them severely, a look of concern on her face. "It's Oscar. He's missing."

**Author's Note: Another great chapter, with some heavy emotion from Jaune to remind us that our heroes are still human. While it is sad to see them angry at each other, it's these little moments that help us relate to them and make their struggles our own. The fact that we got some Silver Eye insight was just a bonus. A very cool chapter to write, but I'm so ready for you guys to read the next. I brought the feels, and you know the scene I'm talking about. See you there! - Jek**


	84. Lost

**Chapter Nine: Lost**

**Salem's Fortress, Domain of Darkness**

Emerald sat with her knees hugged to her chest. Behind her, Mercury was going through a routine of kicks and attacks, keeping his skills sharp rather than sitting idle. Every now and then, one of his grunts broke through the misty web of her thoughts, but otherwise, she ignored him.

After Haven, Emerald had felt lost to herself. She could barely remember a time in her life before Cinder; without the Fall Maiden, she was nothing. To learn that Cinder was still alive was cause for joy itself, but for Salem's decree that she should have to redeem herself before reentering the fold. Emerald ached to see her mentor, but Salem remained firm, and the young thief's fear of the eldritch woman kept her desire in check.

But only just.

"I hate being kept in the dark like this," she mused aloud.

"Yeah," Merc agreed distractedly, "Cinder was a pain, but at least she kept us filled in."

Emerald's eyes narrowed at his careless tone, but didn't speak. Mercury continued with his practice, before she quietly said, "Can I ask you something?"

Her silver counterpart paused for a moment, then resumed his exercise. "You're gonna."

"Why did you come with us?" Emerald asked. "The night Cinder and I found you?"

Mercury stopped again. He looked at the back of her head. "Why are you asking-?"

"Just answer the question!"

He rolled his eyes and kept punching. "Just made sense," he said simply, spinning into a hook kick.

"It made sense?" Emerald repeated dubiously.

"All my life, my father trained me to be a killer, an assassin like him. Then moments after I killed him," Mercury grinned nastily, "you two showed up looking for someone with my exact skills. Just felt like it was meant to be."

"That's _it?_"

Mercury glared at the accusatory tone. "Hey, what's your problem?"

Emerald stood and turned, walking toward him with her arms spread. "I mean, there has to be something you want from this, right?"

Mercury was silent for a moment. "Salem's promised us everything. We win this thing for her, we'll be top dogs in her new world. What more do you want?"

"I just…" Emerald sighed softly, trying to verbalize how she felt. "Cinder was the only family I ever had. She cared about me, taught me things. But without her here, I don't know if what we're doing-"

"_Wake up already._" Emerald looked up at Mercury, shocked by his abruptness, but he stared back at her with a hardened face. "Cinder doesn't care about you! She doesn't care about either of us!"

A flash of anger spiked through Emerald's heart. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

After a moment, Merc replied, "You're in denial. And if you're gonna start having a crisis of identity or some crap… keep me out of it."

A pressure had been building in Emerald's head as he spoke, the same pressure she had felt before at Haven Academy, when Yang Xiao Long had emerged from the Spring Maiden Vault instead of Cinder, and as Mercury spoke, the dam finally broke. With an enraged cry, Emerald leaped forward and swung wildly, but Mercury easily blocked the first two punches and dodged the next. He ducked under a flying kick and caught her by the wrist on her next strike.

He yanked her up to face him by the captured wrist. "I'm sorry you didn't have a mommy that loved you!" he spat. "But I had a father who _hated_ me!" He shoved her back, and Emerald squared up her fists and slowly backed away as he strode forward. "He never went easy on me! Every day of training was a beating! And when I unlocked my Semblance," Mercury raised his fists with a snarl smeared across his lips, "he _stole _it with his!

"'_This is a crutch!_'" he shouted with a punch. Emerald felt the air past her face as she dodged, then ducked beneath a kick as he went on, "'_This makes you weak!_'" She had never seen Mercury this way, except the first night she'd met him, standing over the ruined wreck of his father's body. "He told me I could have it back when I was strong. So I got strong, but I _never _got it back!" The two circled each other, waiting for the other to strike. "I've had to work harder than anyone to get where I am. You may not like it here without Cinder, but _I _think I'm right where I'm supposed to be!"

A dry, cackling chuckle broke the showdown between the two teens, and both turned to see the grinning, maniacal face of Tyrian Callows emerging from the darkness of the doorway. Over his shoulder hovered his new and improved tail, now completely encased in metal and fitted with a brand new cyborg stinger, already full of purplish venom. The Faunus continued to snicker at Mercury.

"Oh, yes, the world is mean," he mocked, "and I'm a big, bad man now just like the others." He giggled.

Mercury growled. "How long have you been standing there?!" he demanded, approaching Tyrian.

"All you ever knew was pain and violence and now you're too afraid to leave it!" Tyrian continued. "Such a tragedy." He didn't appear to pity the boy, but rather took joy from his rage.

"You don't know me!" Mercury cried. With a shout, he lashed out with a kick, but Tyrian easily leaned back and responded in kind, connecting with Mercury's midsection and knocking him to the floor. The silver-clad boy rolled to his back, but Tyrian was crouched over him before he could rise, the metallic stinger held threateningly close to the boy's face.

"Hey!" Emerald began, but Tyrian quieted her with a small "Ssh, sh sh sh!" The Faunus seemed positively giddy at their fighting and outbursts. "I want to tell you both a little secret," he whispered with a grin. "Your question is all wrong."

"What?" Emerald said as he chuckled again.

"'What you _want _from this?'" Tyrian quoted. "Children, please. If you're not loving what you're doing then you're in the wrong field."

Emerald cocked an eyebrow. "So what, are you saying we should just leave?"

Tyrian started slightly with a gasp, as if he had never even considered that possibility before. Pausing to laugh in the middle, he quickly said, "Oh no, no no no! You can't do that!"

"Then what _did _you come here for?" Mercury asked cautiously, still eyeing the stinger warily.

"To say farewell." The stinger retracted to behind Tyrian, and Mercury glanced up at Emerald as Tyrian continued, "There's been a change in plans. Her Grace must act swiftly if we are to prevail. If General Ironwood comes to his senses and calls upon aid from Vacuo, _all _may be lost for us!" The assassin clasped his hands proudly. "And so the good doctor and I are being sent to Atlas… to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Emerald ask.

"Tyrian!" rang out the voice of Arthur Watts before the Faunus could answer. All three turned to the doorway, through which Watts could be seen at the end of the gloomy hallway. "It's time," the doctor announced.

Tyrian fully rose and stepped back form over Mercury, spinning to the hallway with a sinister smile. Mercury rose as the Faunus gave his parting wisdom. "Do what makes you happy, children. Please. I'm begging you." He brandished his tail at them, a fat drop of poison forming at its tip, before he backed away into the hallway and turned after Watts, leaving Emerald and Mercury to watch his departure in a mixture of fear and disgust.

* * *

**Argus, Kingdom of Mistral**

"Oscar!" In the distance, a clocktower chimed the hour in time with Jaune's call to the busy night streets. With him were Nora, Ren, and Saphron, all of them forming a search party in search of their missing friend. Upon the discovery of Oscar's disappearance, the group had split up, with Team RWBY and Jaune's group going their separate ways to cover more ground.

"Oscar?" Nora cried a moment later, to no avail.

"The city is enormous," Ren remarked with slight dismay. "He could have gone anywhere."

Jaune shook his head in self-derision. "This is all my fault. I overreacted"

Saphron glanced at her brother from the side. "I still don't really understand what happened. Was it about the mission?"

Nora stared at the sidewalk uncomfortably. The group hadn't exactly filled Saph or Terra in on the precise details of their quest. "It's… kind of hard to talk about."

"I know, I know, 'top secret,'" Saphron said. "Did he… do something wrong?"

"No, he didn't," Jaune replied, still feeling the shame of his earlier loss of control. "We just got some new information and… it's going to be a lot harder than we thought."

"I mean, if it was easy, then it wouldn't be important, right?"

If the circumstances had been different, Jaune might have smiled. Difficult was a far cry from seemingly impossible.

"I think we're all just a bit unsure of what to do next," Ren stated.

"You could stay in Mistral…" Saphron offered, "get your licenses at Haven and come back to Argus. There's a lot of good you could do here! I know your mission is important, but it's not like you're the only ones who can do it. It's not the only mission that needs doing."

"It's… not that simple," Jaune said futilely, unable to explain further.

Saphron stopped at the corner as the three went on ahead. "Well, I should go pick up Adrian from daycare. I'll let Terra know what's happened, and we'll meet you later." With that, she walked back the way they had come. "Good luck."

For a moment, the trio was silent. Nora stared at her leader's face, knowing that Ren saw the haggard look in Jaune's eyes too. She glanced to the side and offered a smile. "Hey, there's a cafe over there. Why don't we get something to warm up?"

"I'm okay," Jaune murmured dully. "You two go on ahead." He sat down on a bench, his head drooping.

"You don't want anything?" Nora asked. When he didn't respond, she and Ren traded glances in silent conversation.

With a sympathetic smile, Ren said, "We'll be right back." The pair turned and headed toward the cafe, leaving Jaune to sulk in despair on the bench.

Jaune thought back to the house, to his outburst at Oscar. How could he have been so insensitive. The kid hadn't asked for any of this. He'd had as much of a choice as the rest of them. What Jaune had seen in himself after he'd grabbed Oscar scared him, and he could do nothing but bow his head further and demand of the universe, "_Why? What is the point of all of this? If everything we've done was for nothing, if she… if she's gone for nothing, then what good is any of it at all?_"

The universe responded.

At his feet, a small leaf scraped by in the wind, golden brown from the waning autumn. Jaune stared at the small leaf. Something about it, in this wintry town where all he'd seen had been evergreen plants, didn't fit. The leaf blew across the street, into a nearby park. Jaune stood and followed after it, as if he too were drifting in the wind.

He entered the park and walked between a series of columns, his eyes never leaving the leaf until it came to rest at the base of a stone statue. His eyes drifted upward, and his mouth opened as if to gasp, but no sound would emerge.

The stone was grey, but he could fill in the colors from memory. He could see the bronze of the shield in her hands, held demurely before her at her waist; he could make out the fiery red of her hair like the forest of Forever Fall on a windy day; he could even imagine the brilliant green held behind her shuttered stone eyelids. The ribbon curled around her waist currently fluttered in the wind at his own as he stepped forward, taking in more of her.

Many a night since that night had he gone sleepless. And when he could no longer drill in the forests under her tutelage for Ruby's silent audience, he would write her song. He'd saved it in his Scroll with the words he thought fit her best: _Forever Fall_. He knew the lyrics by heart, where she'd written them with the gentle touch of her lips on his.

_Once, like a dream…_

_You looked at me… _

_And everything felt new… _

He knelt down to the plaque at the statue's feet and read the inscription: _In Honor of PYRRHA NIKOS, one of many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon._ Below the words was her sigil, the arrow across the shield.

_One thing that I know for sure…_

_Longer than our lives endure… _

_You're my Forever Fall…_

He stood, only mildly surprised that he'd run out of tears to spill. From the side came the sound of footsteps, and he moved to walk away and not be a disturbance, before the visitor spoke. "It's really beautiful, isn't it?"

He froze. _Her voice_. He turned to the woman, saw the bundle of red flowers cradled in her arms, and faced the statue again. "Yeah," he murmured lamely. "Uhm, why here?"

The woman's short, fiery red hair waved in the breeze as she smiled at the stone face with emerald eyes behind circle-framed glasses. "She trained here," she said softly, as if the soft fur collar of her jacket swallowed her words. "Sanctum Academy. Everyone was crushed when she chose Beacon over Haven. No one wanted to see her go, but it was where she wanted to be." She finally looked at Jaune, the gentle, familiar smile that pained his soul still on her lips. "I'm just glad she was surrounded by such amazing people."

Jaune turned to the woman in surprise. The emotion caught him off guard as he discovered he did still have tears to shed. He closed his eyes to shield them from the world. "She should be standing here." _Not me_, he hadn't the heart to finish aloud.

"She is." He looked to the red-haired woman, who was once more staring at the statue. There was a long pause where he just studied her, wondering to her relation to the girl he'd loved, before she swiveled to face him, the ever-present kind smile still gracing her lips. "She _understood _that she had a responsibility… to try. I don't think she would regret her choice, because a Huntress would understand that there wasn't really a choice to make. And a Huntress is what she always wanted to be."

Jaune turned to face the woman fully, surprised yet again to find a smile on his own lips. He glanced up at the statue's face, then told the woman, "Pyrrha never got the chance to graduate, but she _was _a Huntress."

The woman beamed at him, tears beginning to well up for the first time in her eyes. She wiped them away behind her glasses. "_Thank you_."

"Jaune?" Jaune turned at the sound of Ren calling his name to see him and Nora holding some hot drinks. The pair caught sight of him and entered the park. He turned to say something to the woman-he didn't know what-but when he looked back, he was startled to see she'd disappeared, the only testament to her presence being the bouquet of red flowers laid at the statue's base.

"Jaune, why did you-" Nora trailed off with a gasp as she and Ren both caught sight of the stone visage before them. Strangely, Jaune felt the smile tugging once again at his lips as he stared at her closed eyes, her bowed head. "_You were a Huntress_," he thought, "_and it wasn't in vain. I promise_."

Out loud, he said, "I'm sorry. I've been a terrible leader, and a terrible friend, and I-"

"Jaune." Ren's voice stopped him. He turned to see Ren and Nora staring intensely at him. "This has to stop."

Nora waited a moment before voicing in agreement, "We heard what you said to Cinder, at Haven. You're not being fair to yourself; we love you, just like we loved Pyrrha. We're teammates. Family."

"We don't want to lose you too," Ren finished.

Jaune thought for a moment, his gaze slowly travelling back up to her face. "I think… I think she knew she wasn't going to win. That she might not come out alive. But… she also knew that she was the only one who could try."

"So she did," Ren said.

Nora smiled, the three looking up at their fallen friend. "Maybe we should too."

"Yeah, we should," Jaune agreed.

"Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore," Nora said, "but we can fight like she is."

"And in a way… she will be." Jaune accepted one of the drinks from Nora gratefully.

"We should check back in at the house," Ren said, turning. "Come on." Nora followed behind him.

Jaune held back for one last moment. He gazed up at her face, surrounded by the backdrop of the night sky. A Bullhead drifted lazily through the air behind her head.

Jaune smiled at Pyrrha. "Thank you." Then, he turned and followed Ren and Nora back to the house.

* * *

**Cotta-Arc Residence, Argus, Kingdom of Mistral**

Ruby had no words, just a disappointed, tired sigh.

"I've never seen him this bad," Yang remarked, apparently just as depressed by Qrow's state as her sister. The Huntsman in question was currently sprawled across the front steps of the Cotta-Arc home, drunk as a skunk and conscious only in name. Alcohol fumes reeked off him in stifling waves.

"Come on, let's get him up," Ruby said. She and Yang each grabbed one of their uncle's arms and pulled him into a sitting position. Qrow held a hand to the bridge of his nose, likely suffering from a headache as he groaned.

"Why am I on the stairs?" the Huntsman slurred out.

Ruby planted her hands on her hips in disapproval. "Probably because no one's home, Uncle Qrow. We've been out looking for Oscar."

"Oscar?"

Before Ruby could explain about the boy's disappearance, footsteps alerted them

to the arrival of their friends. Terra, Saphron, Adrian, Jaune, Nora, and Ren were all walking up to the house, with Terra looking none too pleased at Qrow's intoxicated state. "I'm sure this looks _great _to the neighbors," she murmured before and elbow in the ribs from Saph shut her up.

"No luck?" Ren asked.

"No," Blake confirmed. "You?"

"Mm." Ren shook his head.

"Don't worry. We aren't going to Atlas without him."

Ruby looked over at Jaune in surprise from her supporting position under Qrow's

arm. "We?"

JNPR traded looks, but no one disagreed. Jaune turned apologetically to his sister. "Sorry we won't be staying."

Saphron smirked and rolled her eyes. "No you're not."

"How about we get out of the cold?" Terra recommended.

Before anyone could walk up the steps, however, the door opened from within, light streaming out to illuminate the surprised gathering. "Oh, I was wondering when you'd get back." There in the doorway stood Oscar Pine, sporting a new look as well. Where once had been a ragged farmboy there now stood a sporting young adventurer with red boots, black pants, a green jacket with red shoulder patches, and a new white shirt where his faded old one had been.

As one, the teens let out a cry of relief. "_Oscar!_" The boy took a hesitant step back and yelped in fear as Nora let out an ecstatic cry and the entirety of Teams RWBY and JNPR tackled him into the house.

When hugs had been gotten out of the way, a still-laughing Ruby pulled Oscar to his feet.

"You had us worried sick!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"What are you wearing?" Nora finished, eyes roving over the boy's new outfit.

Terra and Saph walked in behind the kids with Qrow and Maria on their heels. Terra sniffed the air. "Is something cooking?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Oscar said. "I thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after… spending all day looking for me, apparently."

Jaune stepped forward. "It's my fault we were all out there in the first place. Oscar, I am _so _sorry for earlier. I was way, way out of line, and what I said-"

Oscar held up his hands. "No, it's okay. These past few days, I've been scared of the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be be… me. But I did some thinking, and I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left."

Jaune smiled sincerely at the boy. "Good. This team isn't the same without you Oscar."

The group smiled their assent before a sounding alarm from the kitchen cause Oscar to cry out in dismay, "Ah! The casserole!"

Saphron laughed. "We're on it, chef." She and Terra walked into the kitchen, the latter passing Adrian off into Maria's arms as she went.

Ruby looked Oscar up and down. "Combat gear looks good," she commented.

He smiled at her in gratitude, which she reflected. However, her smile turned to a frown when her uncle brushed past them and began climbing the stairs. Brow furrowed, she asked him, "Where are you going now?"

"I don't want to get in the way of your celebration," Qrow muttered.

"You've been gone all day," Ruby replied sternly. "Just sit with us."

Qrow sighed heavily. "Look, Ruby, I'm glad you kids worked out a… whatever all that was." He leaned over the railing. "But the fact is we're not a single step closer to Atlas."

"Actually," piped up Jaune. Everyone looked to him. "I think I have an idea. But… it's sort of a _no-going-back_ kind of idea."

"Well," Ruby said seriously, "let's hear it."

Jaune briefly looked gratefully to his fellow leader before he explained, "With Cordo on watch, only Atlas airships have the clearance to leave for Solitas. So…" He sounded less certain as he finished, "We… _steal _an Atlas airship."

No one spoke for a moment. Adrian seemed to think the idea was funny and laughed in Maria's arms.

"That's not just breaking the law," Weiss said. "That's… that's _definitely _worse."

"How would we even get on to the airfield?" Yang asked.

"That… part I haven't quite figured out yet," Jaune admitted. "But I was-"

"Okay, _stop, _just… _stop!_" Qrow finally put his foot down on the conversation. "Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas military we're talking about." He sighed again and pleaded, "For your sake, just drop this."

Ruby looked over her group, saw how their were disheartened by Qrow's words, and she steeled. No. That was _quite _enough of that. She turned to Qrow firmly. "I want to hear him out."

Her uncle sighed. "Ruby-"

"_I want to hear him out!_" she cut off, raising her voice. "I know you're trying to protect us, that you're afraid we can't do it, but right now, I don't really care _what _you think!" She didn't pause at his shocked expression. "Just because you don't have an idea, doesn't mean we're out of options! Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we still managed to get this far anyway. We've been in bad situations before, and we don't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do." Her mind flashed to initiation in the Emerald Forest, to their battles with the White Fang before the Breach, to the way they had held their own at the Fall of Beacon and how they'd continued to persist afterword, even when everything seemed hopeless. "We just did it our way! And I say we do it our way."

She turned to the group, happy to see that they'd regained their spirits at her words, before she looked back up at Qrow with a wry smile. "And if you think you can keep up with us _kids, _we'd be happy to have you."

Qrow stared at her for a long time, not because he was tired or his head was pounding (although those were both true), but because he was looking at Summer, just for a moment. His crimson eyes drifted over to Maria at the Grimm Reaper's chuckle.

The old woman grinned at him, gazing mischievously behind her goggles. "Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either."

Qrow didn't respond, instead staring back down at his niece. Ruby held his gaze with her own, silver and uncompromising. When the Huntsman voiced no further objection, she turned to Jaune and told him to lay out the plan.

**Author's Note: I just finished writing this chapter, and I can confidently say that it is one of my favorite to have written to date. I had envisioned beforehand working the song "Forever Fall" into the scene with Pyrrha's memorial, and I think I did it well. A challenging and fun chapter overall to write. Just four more til the break. Please enjoy! - Jek**


	85. Stealing from the Elderly

**Chapter Ten: Stealing from the Elderly**

**Argus Atlesian Military Base, Kingdom of Mistral**

A gull cawed overhead in the clear blue sky as Caroline Cordovin chuckled. "I was relieved to hear that you came to your senses, Miss Schnee," she said over her shoulder to Weiss, who was following behind with a suitcase and walking side by side with Saphron. Jaune's sister carried Adrian in her arms, and behind them, the two ever-present guards marched in lockstep to complete the escort. "Many of us were devastated when we heard you would be attending…" her voice held a small note of scorn, "_Beacon _Academy. Knowing that you'll be returning to Atlas just warms my old heart," she said as they stopped before a Bullhead, which was to be Weiss's ferry home.

Less than enthused, Weiss tried to keep the civility in her own voice. "It was…

time to get my act together and go back to my roots."

"Oh, I can't wait to see you follow in your sister's footsteps," Cordo said with a fond smile. Winter Schnee was famous among the Atlesian military both for her status as a Schnee and for her close proximity to General Ironwood, and everyone held her in high regard.

However, despite her love for her sister, Weiss was no military woman. "Absolutely," she squeaked out with a fake smile.

Cordovin didn't seem to pick up on her lack of sincerity. In fact, the specialist seemed positively giddy at being able to return Weiss home. "I'm sending two of my best guards to _personally _escort you. Make sure General Ironwood hears that part," she said with a small chuckle and a wink.

With that, Cordo turned on her heel and began to walk back into the base. The guards that had followed behind stepped forward to Weiss. "Allow me to assist you with your bag!" one said, picking up her suitcase only to stagger under its weight. "My, what a heavy bag!"

"That's alright!" Weiss said hurriedly, tugging on her luggage.

"Nonsense!"

"Allow me to assist as well!" the other chimed in as he joined his comrade.

"I can take care of it myself!" Weiss insisted, trying to sound reassuring.

Cordovin stopped and glanced over her shoulder at the commotion suspiciously. Saphron noticed the woman's pause and looked at Adrian in her arms. She smirked mischievously at him. "Just like we practiced." The toddler nodded and grinned, then started wailing and crying in his mother's arms. "Oh, no!" Saph said over the fit. "Look at that, he's just going to miss you so much! You should hurry on out of here!"

At the sound of Adrian's tears, the guards turned away and moved toward Saphron to help with the child, leaving Weiss free to drag her luggage into the ship. Cordo, seemingly satisfied, resumed her exit. "That was close," Weiss murmured to herself.

"_Is everything okay?_" came Ruby's voice from the small earpiece the heiress was wearing.

"Call me heavy," the bag next to Weiss muttered with Maria Calavera's voice. "It's all muscle! I'll show them a thing or two about heavy!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and pressed the button on her earpiece. "We're on board."

* * *

At the oceanside cliffs outside of Argus, Ruby smiled. "Alright, we'll all watch our Scrolls." She turned to address Ren, Nora, Jaune, Oscar, and Qrow. "The second Weiss is out of range of the comm tower, that'll mean she's out of range of the radar too."

"_And that's when Blake steps in_," Yang said over the comm channel. "_We're almost at the drop off._"

* * *

Yang and Blake were currently speeding toward the radar and comms tower on the edges of Atlas on Bumblebee. Blake sat behind Yang and held her Scroll in hand as she video called an unhappy Terra Cotta. The technician had been reluctant to go along with their plan, but with some prodding from Saphron, she had eventually caved and agreed to help.

"Okay, remember: one, the radar box is separate from the rest of the communications equipment. So if you disconnect it properly, it won't take out comms for the rest of the city," Terra instructed. "Two," she stared severely at the Faunus, "this conversation never happened."

"Don't worry," Blake reassured with a smile. "This isn't the first time I've disabled Atlas security."

Terra didn't seem reassured. "Never. Happened." With that, she ended the call, and Yang pulled her bike to a stop in a clearing, the comms tower visible above the trees.

"You sure I shouldn't come with?" Yang asked as Blake hopped off the bike.

"More intruders means we're more likely to be seen. Besides, stealth isn't exactly your… um…" Blake looked back to see Yang staring at her with crossed arms. "I mean, you're great! And I'll hurry back!"

Yang's face softened into a smile. "Go."

Blake smiled back and took off running into the trees. "_Heading in on foot_," came her voice moments after she had disappeared, "_won't be long._"

* * *

On the cliffs, Jaune pumped a fist. "Yes, it's all going to plan!" he exclaimed. However, upon catching Nora and Ren staring at him, he straightened and cleared his throat. "I mean, uh… roger."

The duo merely shook their heads and rolled their eyes with a shared smile.

Oscar smiled at the blonde as well, but he frowned when he noticed Ruby staring worriedly at her uncle. Qrow was leaned up against a tree scowling at the ground with his thumbs in his pockets. Although he was going along with the plan, he'd still been adamant that he thought they were making a mistake.

"Hey," Oscar said to reassure Ruby, "this is gonna work."

She glanced at him, then they both looked up the coast, to the sky where Weiss's ship would hopefully soon be appearing to pick them up. "Yeah."

* * *

On said ship, Weiss was keeping a careful eye on her Scroll's signal readings. Once her bars hit zero for local comms with her friends, she stood silently and crept toward the cockpit, grabbing Myrtenaster as she passed by.

One of the guards looked back to see her approaching. "Miss Schnee, for your own safety, we must request-" He trailed off as she brandished the rapier at him. In the short scuffle that followed, Weiss made easy work of the two soldiers. With the pair of them fitted together by a gravity glyph and one wearing a parachute, she tossed them from the ship to slowly drift to the ocean and be picked up later by Atlesian patrols.

Maria emerged from her hiding place in Weiss's suitcase and walked forward to the pilot's chair as Weiss hesitantly took the passenger seat. "And you're sure you can fly this?" the heiress asked.

"Missy, I was the Grimm Reaper!" Maria responded indignantly, pressing the adjust button to raise the seat to her height. "What part of 'best Huntress of her generation' don't you understand?"

"Right, but your eyes."

Maria didn't reply, merely chuckling as she withdrew a small information jack from the control panel. She plugged the jack into her goggles, and her lenses widened as a screen displayed the words _Transmitting Sensor Array Data_. "You were saying?"

"That you said your eyes were in desperate need of repair-"

"Ah, bup bup."

"But-"

"Bup!"

With a sigh, Weiss resigned herself to whatever fate awaited and cautiously buckled her seat belt. Somehow, she doubted that everything was going to go exactly as planned. The Bullhead did a 180 and began to head back to shore, supposedly now without radar to hamper its return.

* * *

At the cliffs, however, a problem had emerged. Upon seeing Weiss's signal disappeared, Ruby had given the go-ahead. "Alright, guys, this is it. Blake, you're up."

Silence. Blake didn't answer.

"Blake?" There was still no response. Ruby stared back at her friends in alarm. "Yang," she tried again, "what's going on?"

"_I don't know_," replied her sister. Neither had to voice the obvious problem as their Scrolls pinged and Weiss's signal began to return as she and Maria reentered the radar's detection field.

* * *

In the control room of the Atlesian military base, Cordovin was overseeing her men at their terminals when a ping from a nearby station drew her attention. "Ma'am," said the officer at the station, "we've got something on radar."

Caroline strode over to him and stared at the red dot on the screen. "And who would be foolish enough to enter our airspace unannounced?"

"Apparently… us, ma'am," the officer replied, confused to see the ship's callsign as one of their own.

* * *

Maria and Weiss were both startled in the cockpit of the Bullhead when a voice came over the radio. "Manta 5-1, this is Argus Base. We see you circled back, what's your status, over?"

"Why can they see us?" Weiss softly asked in alarm.

"Somebody dropped the ball," Maria hissed back. "Don't worry, I've worked with Atlas forces before. I know their jargon." She picked up the handheld mic and depressed the transmit button. "Argus Base, this is Manta 5-1. Feel free to gaff off. Thought we were going to scrub due to FOD, but we're back up and green across the board, over." She gave Weiss a reassuring smile.

The static broke. "Manta 5-1, return to base immediately, or you will be treated as hostile, over."

"I thought you said you knew their jargon!" Weiss cried.

"Jargon was good," came the officer over the radio, "but our pilots aren't elderly women."

"Huh. Well, they got me there," Maria admitted wryly. "My mind really is going. Why would you kids let me fly this thing?"

Before Weiss could snap back, the mic screeched with feedback as Cordovin's voice came angrily over comms. "Calavera! You and those insolent children are up to something, aren't you? You thought you could undermine _my _authority? If you don't return my ship this _instant _I will make an example out of you! I will show you the true might of Atlas!"

The radio filled with crunching. "You hear that, Cordo?" Maria said through a mouthful of cashews with an evil gin. "That's the sound of me not caring!" She laughed wildly, a bag of nuts in her hand, while Cordovin screamed in rage over the radio.

"Ruby," Weiss said, "we're in trouble. Cordo's onto us," she leaned over and glared accusingly at Maria, "and _Maria _isn't helping! Why is the radar still up?"

* * *

Groundward, Ruby replied helplessly, "We don't know! Blake isn't responding."

"What do we do?" Oscar asked from behind.

"_Keep the ship in one piece_," said Yang, followed by the sound of Bumblebee's engine revving.

"Maybe we should fly over to help Blake and Yang first?" Nora suggested.

"Dammit!" Everyone looked over at Qrow, whose eyes had taken on a wild look like a trapped animal. "Cordo's gonna scramble her fighters. We've got maybe ninety seconds before they're in the air, and all over Weiss and Maria! This is all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" Jaune asked. "Y-Your Semblance?"

"Every choice I've ever made has led me here, and I dragged you along with me," Qrow continued. "Oz, myself, the others, we're responsible for the mess the world's in now. I shouldn't have come, shouldn't have let any of you come! What was I _thinking?!_"

The raving stopped, and for a moment everyone was silent. Then, Ruby stepped forward. "We're all in this together," she told him, "and we're all going to do the best we can. That's all anyone can do! And I know it's what you've always aimed for. We would've come whether or not you'd let us, so _stop _talking like we're your responsibility!" Qrow stared at her in surprise. "We're not! But we could still use Qrow Branwen on our side."

Qrow might've chuckled if the situation hadn't been so dire, then he decided to do so anyway. "How did you grow up so fast?" he murmured.

She smiled at him softly. "I had good role models."

He smiled fondly back at her, before the radio beeped again. "_Guys,_" came Weiss's voice. "_She's not sending fighters._"

The group turned to stare down the coast to the mountain in Argus's bay, where the military base was housed. The mountain itself seemed to be shifting, metal plates and rock opening up to expose a dark cavern within. From the darkness emerged the titanic body of an enormous mech, the sun glinting off its armor.

Over the comms came Cordo's voice. "_Clearly the people of Argus have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas!_"

"_Is Cordo… piloting _that?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"_Consider this a reminder!_" the specialist finished as she lifted one of the mech's giant arms to reveal a Dust cannon where the hand on the other was. Lifting the weapon skyward, she took aim at Manta 5-1 and fired a stream of electricity, striking a glancing blow to the Bullhead.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked in the cockpit as Maria's goggles spun from the shock feedback in her jack.

"I am, but _she's _clearly lost her mind!" Maria replied.

"_And that was merely a warning shot_," Cordovin boasted. "_All Atlas personnel stand by and watch how your leader maintains order!_" The mech gave chase to the fleeing aircraft as both came within sight of Ruby's group near the cliffs. "_It's time you asked yourselves, children… do you truly wish to defy me?_"

Ruby's face hardened. They hadn't planned for this, but there was no turning back at this point. "Hurry back, Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're gonna take this thing down."

* * *

**Minutes Earlier…**

"_Why is the radar _bzzt _up?_"

"_We don't _bzzt_o! Bl_bzzt_ke _bzzt_sn't resp_bzzt_ing!_"

_The beast chuckled as he crushed her Scroll underfoot. Red was such a beautiful color. Red, like blood, like his rose emblem, like rage._

_Like terror._

Blake panted as she took cover behind a corner on the upper decks of the radar tower. She looked to the side and recoiled with a gasp at the sight of an Atlesian soldier, unconscious or worse, slumped against the wall. Her eyes darted around wildly, and she flinched as a gunshot struck the railing inches from her left hand. She dashed to the middle of the platform and looked down to the deck below.

The past back up at her from behind a black blindfold, sheathing Wilt neatly into Blush. "It's nice to finally have time to ourselves, don't you think?" Adam asked.

If she hadn't been so terrified, Blake would have been outraged. She aimed her pistol at him. "Leave me _alone!_" she cried, firing off a couple of rounds.

He caught them easily on his blade, smiling. "But I've waited… _so long_, for you to be away from them."

_Oh yes. The beast had been persistent in his pursuit. He was an outcast among men and fellow beasts, now. There was nothing else to live for but revenge. Upon her, and then the world._

_He had watched her as she severed the train cars in an ironic reversal of their roles as he now pulled ahead to watch her fall behind. He had followed her friends when they got to Argus, had spied from afar when she had finally arrived at the city. And now, his patience was rewarded._

_She was alone. And no one could save her this time._

In a desperate bid to escape, Blake leaped high and grabbed Gambol Shroud by blade and hilt as she began to slide down one of the tower's guy wires. Adam wouldn't have it, lashing out with his Semblance to send a slice of energy up and through the wire. It snapped, dumping Blake hard to the deck right on his level.

Even though the landing knocked the breath from her lungs, she couldn't spare a moment, and she sprang to her feet and drew her sword as he lunged for her. He struck, she blocked, she leaped away to strike back, and he parried. Two more swipes, and then she scored a kick to his torso that drove him back.

He glared at her from behind the blindfold. "Why did you have to come into my life and ruin _everything?!_" he cried.

"You stalked me across Anima!" she replied indignantly. "I don't want anything to do with your life!"

He dashed forward and swung so hard that her block spun Wilt out of his hand. He grabbed the sword again as she leaped backward and sent Moonslice toward her, but she shadow-jumped away, then decoyed again to retreat back up to the higher level. She leveled her pistol over the railing and looked for him to pursue, but there was nothing. She spun and cried out as Wilt's handle struck her hard in the temple.

_The beast laughed and caught his weapon as it spun back through the air. He watched her, tensing as she threw her pistol not at him, but at the metal above. With that long ribbon like a rope she swung around and struck hard downward. The beast felt an unpleasant tingle in his palm from the force, and with a snarl, he struck back with a wild series of slashes. Their blades locked and threw sparks as he grabbed her sword hand with his free one. She did the same, but he gripped more firmly and spun, throwing her roughly against the metal._

Blake rolled with the momentum and dodged another energy slice as she leaped up to the highest deck of the tower. She breathed out heavily, the fight already taxing her, before her eyes shot wide as a fist close like a vise on her throat. How had he moved so fast?! She gripped his wrist futilely as he marched her backwards to the railing, her lungs already beginning to cry out for air. A desperate thought shot like lightning through her mind, and she stomped hard on his foot as she arched her back over the railing.

Adam cried out in pain and surprise as they both went over together into the forest canopy. Both of them struck the branches hard, the wood cracking under the force of their bodies, before they slammed into the ground together with twin groans of pain.

Blake coughed from the impact but managed to make it to her feet first. Her breath was foggy in the cold air. "Let go of the past, Adam," she implored her combatant. "Do it for yourself."

_The beast did not understand. How could he just let go? The past haunted him; she knew that better than anyone! Even if she escaped, she would always toy with him from his mind._

"Just forget it all?" Adam demanded, rising to his feet as well. "Is that what you did to me? You just threw our memories _away?!_"

"_Adam!_"

He stared at her impassively. "I let you go once already, Blake." His hand closed on Wilt's blade, drew it partly from Blush, and her finger curled on Gambol Shroud's trigger as they both adopted a fighting stance. "I'm _never _making that mistake again."

**Author's Note: And here it is. The infamous conclusion to V6, that people either loved or hated. Many criticize the mech fight for being unimportant, unentertaining, or just didn't like the plan to begin with, but personally, I loved the battle with the Colossus. "Big Metal Shoe" is just a fun, pump up song for a fight scene like this, and the battle was well animated (Great job, CRWBY). And even if the decision to steal the airship wasn't the most _moral_, one does have to consider that there were not a lot of other options. If you like it, you can say that they weren't given a fair chance by Cordovin and that they were merely doing what they had to do; if you don't like it, it shows that the characters are still fallible, despite being the heroes. Either way you slice it, this was not a terrible fight, or a bad story decision.**

**I'll tackle the Adam debacle in greater detail after "Seeing Red," but for now, one more update coming today. Stay tuned! - Jek**


	86. The Lady in the Shoe

**Chapter Eleven: The Lady in the Shoe**

"_You're joking, right?_" Weiss's voice crackled over the comms from the Bullhead, which was being pursued by Cordovin's marching Colossus. "_You want to _fight _this thing?_"

Ruby's determined gaze didn't flicker. "We've fought giant monsters before. This is just a tiny old lady." She paused. "With one very big robot," she conceded.

"_You little spider roaches thought you could creep your way into Atlas?!_" Cordo screeched over the mech's loudspeakers. "_Well, let's see how your resolve holds out against the might of the Atlesian military!_" The Colossus raised its massive, cannon arm, and a hatch on its wrist popped open, displaying a frightening array of missiles. One of the warheads launched forward to track the ship down, rapidly closing the distance and leaving a tail of smoke. However, before it could make contact, the missile prematurely exploded in a burst of flame.

Irked, Cordovin shifted her viewport to look to the shoreline, just able to make out the tiny figure of Ruby as she lowered her sniper rifle. Cordo growled and worked her controls. "_So be it!_" With that, she began to charge up the massive Dust cannon, her attention clearly now on the groundside troops.

Weiss and Maria looked on in alarm from the Bullhead. "Dive!" the heiress ordered, unclipping her seat belt to hurry back to the cargo bay. Maria complied, speeding down to the other group as Cordovin leveled the cannon at the group. Quickly, Weiss hopped out and brandished Myrtenaster to summon up a wall of stone before her friends. The burst of Dust from the cannon struck the stone and solidified into ice moments before it would have frozen the students in place, raising a cloud of mist that obscured them from Caroline's vision.

Cautiously, Oscar lowered his hands from their protective position covering his face. "That was close."

Ruby turned to her friends. "We need to figure out how to stop Cordovin and protect the airship until we do."

"Let's give her more targets to focus on," Jaune said.

"You mean us, don't you?" Nora said, less than enthused.

"Look at that thing." Jaune replied, peering cautiously around the Dust-formed ice at the mech. "It's not designed for small fighters. It's probably meant for giant Grimm that come in from deeper waters. We can turn our size into an advantage. We just have to be smart."

Ruby considered for a moment, then opened comms. "Maria, can you keep the ship out of harm's way?"

In the cockpit, the Grimm Reaper grinned. "They can take my driver's license, but I won't let them take this ship!"

"Very reassuring," Ren murmured flatly.

"I'll be more useful if I go with her," Oscar said. "From up high, I can try to spot a weakness."

"Well, he's not the only one who can grab a bird's eye view," Qrow said with a slight grin, a welcome sight from his earlier melancholy.

Weiss turned to Ruby. "You said you needed me on the ground?"

Ruby flashed her a slightly nervous smile. "Not exactly."

* * *

In the Colossus's cockpit, Cordovin surveyed the fading mist with narrowed eyes. There had been no movement from the area since the Dust had struck a minute before, but she doubted the pesky children and Maria would have turned tail and run.

Mere moments after finishing the thought, Cordovin's eyes shot wide as her foes sprang into action. On the left, Jaune, Nora, and Ren dashed out of cover on the ground; to the right, Maria's stolen Bullhead swooped back into the sky; and dead ahead, a blur of red shot straight into the air and revealed itself to be Ruby Rose, accompanied by a small crow. The girl hung in the air for a moment and cracked off a shot with Crescent Rose.

Cordovin flinched in her cockpit as the glass viewport of the mech cracked from the bullet, but held. With a growl, the specialist once more opened her wrist-mounted missile launcher and opened fire. The titanic battle was back on.

Ruby landed in a tree from her sniper shot in the sky and turned to see the missiles bearing down on her. Activating her Semblance, the girl dashed forward, hopping from missile to missile as they hurtled past to explode harmlessly into the ice beneath her. When she ran out of running room, she dove downward with a carefree laugh. "Let's go!"

Before she could sink beneath the surf, a sheet of ice formed at the base of the cliff, and the reaper rode the slope like a skateboarder and launched herself in the air, followed quickly by Weiss. The heiress had summoned up a series of tiny icebergs before them that provided a path to the bottom of the mech, and the friends hopped from one to the other as they drew near.

However, before Cordo could focus on them, a burst of pink smoke exploded on her Colossus's other arm. In the distance, Jaune called out, "Hey, over here!"

"_What?_" She turned to regard the tiny running figures of the JNPR trio on the cliffs, Nora's Magnhild in grenade-launching configuration.

"And you said it wasn't beach season!" the Valkyrie jabbed toward Ren. Each of the friends took cover behind one of the cliff's natural rock outcroppings as Nora opened fire once more. However, when then whining grenades reached their target, Cordo merely lifted an enormous, metal hand, the projectiles exploding harmlessly on a hard-light shield.

Cordo laughed. "_Surely you knew Atlas was the father of hard-light Dust, or do lesser kingdoms simply lack proper education?_" With that, the giant Dust wheel in the cannon spun yet again, and Cordo took aim and fired on the beach. Jaune, Nora, and Ren fled as spiky upshoots of rock suddenly materialized before them, the leader being clipped by one and thrown hard to the ground.

Jaune thumbed on his channel. "Cordo just activated shields!"

In the circling Bullhead, Oscar held a hand to his own ear. "I saw that. We need to find whatever's generating it."

Ruby's voice said, "_You know, in video games, the weak spot's usually on the back of the giant boss_."

"_Ruby, this isn't a game!_" Weiss chastened.

"_I'm just trying to-look out!_" the reaper cut off abruptly as the mech slammed down one of its massive feet in an attempt to crush the duo.

"_You are ants! You are _lower _than ants!_" Cordo thundered.

However, up above, the black crow morphed back into his human form of Qrow Branwen and twirled his scythe as he rocketed down toward the Colossus. With a mighty cry, he sank his weapon into the hull of the giant machine with such impact that the specialist was jostled in her cockpit. "_What was that?!_"

Qrow fired his weapon and pulled himself higher, looking down at the deep gash his scythe had made. "Until the shield's down, we're gonna have to get up close and personal with this thing." He unfolded his weapon's guns and began draining fire into the open wound but flitted away in bird form as a massive hand attempted to capture him.

"_That's easier said than done!_" Ren cried over comms.

"Weiss and I are on it!" Ruby replied from the ocean. With Cordovin distracted from the shore and air, she had momentarily forgotten the gnats at her feet, and Weiss spotted an opening.

"Hold on!" the heiress cried, Myrtenaster's Dust chamber spinning to a stop as she thrust it into their icy platform. From the glyph she created, a line of ice spikes formed right before one of the mech's legs, causing it to stumble and drawing a growl from Cordo.

In the air, Oscar held a hand to his chin, surveying the mech as Maria flew them by. He started as he saw the opening they were looking for. "Wait, that's it, when she-" He trailed off as he saw the missile launcher once again pop open and lower towards the mech's feet. "Ruby, _move!_" he shouted frantically.

The girls looked up in fright as the missile launcher loomed overhead, and Cordo showed no mercy as she loosed a stream of projectiles at them, obliterating the ground they'd been standing on in a massive plume of water. However, emerging from the geyser a moment later came Weiss and Ruby, riding on Weiss's Summon of a Queen Lancer. Ruby leaped from the insect and spun through the air toward the Colossus, cutting a deep scar into the hull with the ugly sound of tearing metal. The gargantuan metal giant actually fell back against the coast from the impact, landing unceremoniously on its bottom with an even greater impact that shook the city of Argus a scant mile away.

Cordovin's screech was more like the wail of a Grimm as she roared her frustration, but JNPR wasn't about to waste their opening. "Go!" Jaune hollered, and the three sprinted to the recovering machine. Ren leaped onto one of its massive arms as it attempted to push itself back to a standing position, digging in with the sickle blades of Storm Flower as he began to climb. At the base, Jaune slashed away with his broadsword, while Nora delivered a blow with her hammer that would've set Cordo's teeth chattering in her cockpit had they not been so tightly clenched in anger.

The Colossus finally righted itself and stood, with two of the smaller fighters hanging on for the ride, Ren in the back, Ruby on the front, staring sheepishly through the glass at Cordovin as she hung onto her scythe.

"_Get off of me!_" Cordo cried, unamused by Ruby's tentative wave as she reached up with the hand to grab the reaper off her face. The hand sent the reaper hurtling downward with a terrified scream, but before she could slap into the waters, she was caught by Weiss, riding by on her Lancer.

"What if I hadn't caught you?!" Weiss demanded indignantly.

"I knew you would!" Ruby replied with a flash of a smile, waiting until Weiss had rolled her eyes and turned to let out a sigh of relief. That had been _too _close.

Meanwhile, on the back of the mech, Ren had managed to climb to the center of the torso, stopping alongside a giant hatch that emanated a mechanical hum. He dug one of his blades into the hatch, but the Colossus shifted suddenly, knocking both him and the hatch loose as he let out a frightened cry before a hand grabbed him by the wrist.

Surprised by the save, Ren looked up to see Qrow, having materialized suddenly by his side. "Gotcha," the elder Huntsman said. "Whatcha find?" He pulled Ren back up, and they both stood on the hatch and peered within. A high-tech mechanism that spun rapidly and glowed with blue light pulsed and whirred before them, beneath a sign reading, _Authorized Personnel Only: Shield Generator. _Qrow nearly chuckled. "Well, alright then." He whipped out his weapon and opened fire, Ren following suit, as they reduced the machine to a sparking, riddled mess.

The Colossus jolted, a blue flicker traveling over its frame as its shields failed. "No, no, _no!_" Cordo screamed in the cockpit, before a fresh bombardment from the shore jostled her once more.

Nora was none to happy about Caroline stealing Ren. "You get back here with my man!" she cried as she continued to unload grenades on the mech.

With the specialist distracted, Weiss and Ruby rounded the mech and pulled up alongside Qrow and Ren. "Jump on!" Weiss called. The two didn't hesitate to board, and the Lancer sped skyward moments later to get an aerial view of the battle.

Nora continued to pummel the hand arm of the Colossus before her trigger sounded an empty _click_. Cordo pressed the advantage and pulled her arm back for a long swing, to Jaune's alarm. "_I've had enough of you ingrates!_" Frantically, he sprinted forward and tackled Nora, his Semblance flaring bright to enhance her Aura, before the arm slammed into the both of them and batted them down the shore, smashing through one of the Dust stone formations form earlier before they smacked hard into a natural rock, their Auras cracked and broken.

"No!" Ren shouted from the air, but before the Lancer riders could move to help, they found themselves staring down the barrel of the Dust cannon. Weiss gasped and desperately tried to spirit them to safety, but she was too late as the cannon fired, the Lancer evaporating beneath them.

The group cried out as they flew through the air towards shore. Ren, Weiss, and Qrow all hit the ground hard, but Ruby was further away. She tried to use her Semblance to dash the last dozen yards, but gravity took hold at the last moment and she fell down the cliff toward the ocean with a scream as Qrow watched in horror.

Thinking quickly, Ruby embedded Crescent Rose into the cliff and dug in, clinging to the weapon like the lifeline it was with both hands and legs wrapped around its handle. While safe for the moment, she dangled helplessly from the rock as Cordovin approached in her mech. "_This is what happens when you think you know better than those rightfully in charge!_"

Seeing Ruby's impending crisis, Oscar cried to Maria, "We've gotta do something!" Maria squinted at the controls, reading her goggles' hud as she began flicking switches and zooming toward the giant.

The water lapped hungrily at the rock beneath Ruby as she and her friends stared in terror at the Colossus's Dust cannon, which whirled to a stop and began to charge as it levelled at her. The dark energy within crackled, ready to devour her.

With a _fpsssh_, a small, red-capped missile streaked out from Manta 5-1 towards the Colossus, before it disappeared behind a wall of metal. Cordovin had reacted with lightning speed, the metal hand snapping up to catch the missile before impact. The charge faded from the Dust cannon as the Colossus rotated to regard the stolen Bullhead like an annoying fly.

Cordovin's eyes became slits. "_Calavera_." Whirling, the mech reared back its arm and launched the missile back to its original owner. With a flash of light and smoke, the bomb exploded before the airship, and Manta 5-1 emerged from the cloud of smoke spiraling toward the sea.

* * *

In the forest, Adam was a man possessed, battling Blake with a fury she had never felt from him before. Every strike from Wilt on her katana set her fingers ringing, and he grunted and cried in frenzied rage. She flipped backward and away from him, leaving him to behead a shadow clone, but he pursued her into the air and batted her back down with such force that she bounced. With catlike agility, she landed on her feet and dashed in, locking both her katana and her larger flatblade against the sharp redness of Wilt.

Their blades spitting sparks, Blake gasped as she heard an explosion in the distance. Her friends would be in trouble by this point, with her having failed to disable the comms tower. Adam didn't seem concerned, merely using her split second of distraction to force her back. His jaw clenched in rage, seeming robbed each time his blade struck hers or he sliced through one of her decoys.

Desperately, Blake hurled her pistol-whip forward and yanked herself away with the long ribbon. Dancing from tree trunk to tree trunk, she flung herself forward and took off in a dead sprint towards the explosions.

_The beast watched as his quarry fled, and immediately gave pursuit. It was liberating, this long hunt, as it finally drew to its end, with him as the predator and her, the fleeing prey. As usual._

"Can you do _anything _besides run?" Adam demanded as he sprinted after her. He too began to leap from trunk to trunk, while ahead of him, Blake appeared like a monkey between the branches. Adam's breath came as hot steam in the cold air, and he fingered the trigger of Blush to launch his sword in a spinning arc before him. Blake had thrown forward Gambol Shroud in an effort to continue her flight, but the blades collided in midair, leaving her to gasp in surprise and barely recover by grabbing a nearby branch to fling herself backward.

Adam growled as he launched himself forward to meet her with a violent slash, briefly rewarded by resistance as he believed he'd finally struck home. However, his hopes were dashed in a cloud of fabric as Blake's ruined white jacket floated to the floor and she twisted beneath his blade. A two-footed kick sent him sprawling away with a groan to the forest floor.

_The beast was denied his prey, again! He looked up through the black blindfold as she opened fire, and a few shots managed to penetrated his dazed defense with uncomfortable jolts to his Aura. He whipped up his sword in an instant and caught the remaining rounds with the ring of steel, his breath hissing through his teeth._

Blake held his hidden glare with her own in a brief stare down before the chase began anew. Finally, the endless trees gave way to a new scenery, a natural stone arch that towered above a swiftly flowing, waterfall-fed river below. The air was crisp and clear, the blue sky ahead beautiful under different circumstances.

However, the two Faunus and former friends took in none of the majesty of their surroundings, eyes locked solely on one another. Both could sense without knowing that a path was ending, a road that had begun on a train nearly two years before was finally drawing to a close. Only one would walk off of this bridge.

If anything, Adam seemed further invigorated by this unspoken realization. With no words, he flew forward, slicing with something too calculated to be reckless abandon. They whirled for a moment, and he found her looking down the barrel of Blush. Instinctively, he fired, but once again, the moment of satisfaction was robbed from him as a shadow clone dissolved before him.

He turned as she ran at him from behind and stabbed forward with Wilt, but she swivelled and managed to catch the red blade within Gambol Shroud's own sheath. She flipped over him as he stumbled forward, now only armed with his shotgun. Growling, he opened fire, blasting her with a barrage of bullets while sneaking in a blow here and there with his fists and his feet. She dodged them all, flipping and decoying nimbly away.

Blake went in for a kick to his head, which he blocked with the stock of his gun, and she decoyed back over his head. However, her luck had finally run out. Adam dashed forward and struck unexpectedly with the gun, using it like a club as he brought it up to bear on her blade. Her weapon forced back, Blake was unable to prevent him from grabbing her flatblade hand and squeezing tightly.

"I wouldn't have to be doing this if you just behaved!" he shouted. She squirmed in his grip before he forced her hand down and gripped his sword's handle, still trapped in her sheath. He drew back in a wide arc, taking the flatblade with him and fling it high and away into the air. Blake barely had time to gasp in surprise before pain exploded in her temples as Adam struck her brutally with the butt of his sword, knocking her senseless to the ground.

"But you're _selfish!_" _the beast shouted, finally able to take his time and savor the kill. He leaped forward and sliced down toward her fallen body, only just missing as she staggered to her feet. He didn't allow her time to recover, and though she caught his next strike on her katana, the force threw her back to the ground. _"You're a _coward!_" _the beast raved, striking down again to roll her further ahead. _

_She came up on her knees and glared at him. _"You're delusional!" _she spat, cowering back despite her defiance as he strode up to her. He relished her helplessness as she turned as if to scoot away on her arms, but she remained still. His eyes drifted to her now-exposed midriff, his sword seeming magnetically drawn to the small scar adorning the left of her waist, just above the hip. A scar he had given her, once, when she had been helpless, when she had managed to slip through his fingers._

_However, the fear was gone. Before, in the flaming wreck of Beacon's cafeteria, she had looked up at the beast in pure terror, dreading his very visage. Now, she stared up at him with indignance, defiance, even pity! He howled in rage, hair and blade glowing red-hot as he swung down at her again. She lifted her own blade to defend herself, but his Semblance-augmented strike proved too much, and Gambol Shroud's katana shattered under his rage._

Blake truly was defenseless now. She had no weapon, and Adam was towering over her with murderous intent. If not for her friends depending on her, she could have been relieved that their long feud had finally reached this bitter end. Adam had seemed to calm, now that she presented no threat, as if wanting to enjoy every moment of her demise.

Wordlessly, the Faunus man reached up to his face and lifted the black blindfold. Blake's ears curled at his face, which she'd still been able to memorize in the scant times she'd seen it in its entirety. "People hurt me long before we met," Adam said, "all sorts of people, in all sorts of ways… but no one hurt me quite like you." His good, right eye was a blue crystal, nearly beautiful if not for its diamond hardness. His left was like dirty, bloody glass, a dull grey surrounded by crimson, ruined since his youth. Across his brow, bearing scars and distortions, was a brand of three letters. _SDC. _The Schnee Dust Company.

Adam stared at her in that moment, and she considered him, his impact on her life. She thought of, even when they'd first met as children, how fond he'd been of masks. Halloween masks, blindfolds, hoods, anything to hide from the world the evidence of his weakness, of what humans had done to him. She remembered his zealous voice rising in support of her father's organization, and she remembered how easily Sienna's violent methods had swept him up, methods that could give the Faunus equality… and could give him revenge.

She remembered believing for a long time that he was right, that his killings were justified. But as she had told Sun Wukong not too many weeks ago, she saw the man before her for what he had become: spite. He may have started as an idealist, may have truly supported the cause for most of his life, but after Beacon, he had become the very thing he hated: a cruel, callous murderer seeking to avenge his own grievances. Even she was evidence of it-the girl he had fallen for, who had ruined his life, consuming him so completely that he'd hunted her to this moment.

He spoke her thoughts. "You didn't leave scars. You just left me alone."

Blake was stirred from what she believed to be her final thoughts by a sound, the rapid _hum _of an engine in the distance that was rapidly approaching. Her Faunus ears twitched involuntarily in surprise, eyes widening.

Adam didn't sense her revelation. "So, tell me, Blake… how does it feel to be alone?" He raised his sword and towered over her. For a long moment, the only sound was the rushing waterfall in their ears, before Adam let out a yell and brought the blade down, impaling Blake through the stomach.

_Victory!_

_Vengeance!_

_She shimmered. No. __**No!**_

Before the sheen of red that fell over his eyes, her body dissolved. He nearly screamed. A shadow clone.

He looked over in shocked fury as she picked up the fallen flatblade of Gambol Shroud, holding a hand to sore ribs. She met his gaze with orbs of amber fire. "I'm not alone." The _hum _of the engine suddenly reached his ears, and as he looked up, something eclipsed the sun. In the split second it took him to realize that the something was a motorcycle, the rider flipped backward off of it and sent it careening down into him.

The impact was like a tank. Adam's breath was crushed from his lungs in an agonized "_Uwahh!_" as the bike slammed into him. He rolled end over end, tumbling along the rough stone ground, as the bike scraped past him and plummeted to its doom over the side of the bridge to the waters below.

The rider landed in a crouch, golden hair flaming behind her like a curtain of sunlight. Yang rose to her feet and coolly regarded the fallen man across from her. Adam looked up with wild, pained eyes and focused on her after a second. His eyes went wide in recognition, recalling the red of her blood on his blade. "_You._" He made a move to rise but barely lifted his blade in time to catch a round fired from Ember Celica at her wrist. Yang said nothing to him, merely thumbing the button on her prosthetic arm to expose its gun barrel as well as she lowered her smoking gauntlet.

"Yang! Ugh!" Blake made a step toward her partner, but her hand went back to her ribs with a sharp jolt as she fell to a knee.

Yang gave her smile. "It's okay. Catch your breath for a second." Her lilac eyes flicked back to Adam, the smile curving to a frown. "I can hold him off."

"She's right, Blake," Adam said as he rose to his feet, "it's okay." He brandished his sword, the blade and his hair flickering red. "We have … unfinished business."

Yang watched him warily as he began to circle. Like lightning, his hand flashed to his sword, and he dashed forward. Around him, a duo of dark shadows with his outline moved in harmony with him, slashing out at her. She ducked the first strike and blocked the second with a fire of her gauntlet. Adam merged with the clones on the final slash, the staccato sound of metal on metal ringing in the air.

Yang stood her ground, expelling the spent shell from Ember Celica. Adam struck with a wave of Moonslice power, sending a physical red energy wave towards her like a shark. She dodged the slice and brought her hands up to a boxer position as he threw Wilt forward like a saw, spinning and clanging off of her wrists. She thrust her arms down to throw the sword back in the air; Adam was waiting and kicked it by the hilt, sending it towards her like a spear.

Yang batted it away with her metal arm, the sharp tip sinking into the rock. Adam scooped it up as he landed and slashed it up at her, which she dodged with a backflip. She squeezed off two shots; he caught the first on his blade but missed the second as he spun, and it hit him between the shoulder blades. Adam grunted and moved with the impact, slicing out with three quick strikes. Yang caught the attacks on her gauntlets, but they forced her back, sliding across the ground.

Undeterred, she dashed back into the fray, ducking a pair of slices at her head as she began to batter Adam's torso. She launched him upward with a brutal uppercut, then kicked him back down. He recovered and shot toward her, but she grabbed him by the elbow before he could swing Wilt. She slid her grip up to his wrist as she raised his arm over his head, exposing his side to her flesh fist. Two powerful punches hit the mark, before she bent him back down to shove her knee into his stomach.

_The air _wooshed _out of the beast right before her relentless fist found his jaw and staggered him back. Somehow, the beast stayed on his feet after the devastating assault. This couldn't be happening! He had _broken _this girl before, in the blink of an eye! How could she be whipping him? Like a dog?! _

_He barely had time to react as she punched at him, the blow punctuated by a shot that he captured as he blocked her metal arm, a substitute for the one he'd taken from her. As she ducked a blast from Blush, he absently thought that she might have that very appendage in mind, avenging it with every ring of metal on metal. The fury in her eyes certainly seemed to confirm the idea as she rushed him with a warcry, her fists a literal blur against his blade and driving him back with every blast._

Yang delivered her opponent a fiery blow across his blade, and now it was Adam who slid back across the ground. With a leap and a blast of her guns, she propelled herself after him in the air, her boot connecting with his blade as he whipped it up in defense. However, with a twist of her body, she brought the other leg across and felt the satisfying vibration travel up her body as her other foot caught him on the cheek and threw him to the ground.

Despite the adrenaline of the fight, Yang had kept her anger in check, her eyes refusing thus far to yield to the rage simmering beneath the surface and morph from lilac to red. With another cry, she began thrusting her fists forward, firing a storm of Dust rounds at Adam. The Faunus man caught them on his sword, making the action appear deceptively easy with his speed. The shadowy clones he had summoned earlier appeared once again as he sneered and dashed at her.

The clones and he converged around her, circling in a disorienting array of darkness accented by flashes of color. Yang squinted and whirled in the circle of darkness, searching for the man behind the shadows, when her eyes flicked up and went wide as Adam leaped unexpectedly high into the air. With an animalistic shriek, Adam stabbed Wilt into the ground and sent another wave of his Semblance energy roaring toward her.

Yang crossed her arms, letting the metal take the brunt of the wave as it slid her back. She was breathing heavily.

"His Semblance is like yours!" Blake cried from her knees, having watched the fight thus far as she recovered. "He absorbs energy through his sword, stores it up, and then sends it back when he's ready!"

Yang turned to her. "He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it?" She gave a scoffing sound that was more sigh than anything else. "That's just cheap."

With a double blast from her guns, Yang shot herself back forward toward her adversary. Adam stood in wait, teeth bared hatefully as his good eye glittered like a sparkling sapphire. He sliced downward as she neared him, but Yang fired her gauntlet again and dodged the slice. Another shot gave her momentum to spin in the air like an ice skater, only to bring her toe down on the back of Adam's head like a sledgehammer.

He sliced at her again, but she repeated her gunshot dodge from before and slid across the ground under Wilt's blade again, then a third time. Once more, she fired both gauntlets, but she curled her body before reaching him and fired again into the ground to give herself height.

A blast from the shotgun shimmered by her body as she crashed down like a meteor onto Adam. Her fist struck like a missile, dazing him, before she followed it up with a series of kicks broken by another dodge. Pushing off of his chest with her foot gave her height again, and she moved down for another blow.

Adam was quicker, bringing his sword up to bear and catching her fist on the blade. However, this time, he unleashed a small amount of the stored energy back into her. With a cry, she was thrown back through the air, bouncing once across the ground before she flipped over onto her hands and knees. Panting, she looked over to Blake, to the left of where she'd landed, and the girls traded a glance.

Adam's eyes flicked back and forth, and whatever he saw in the glance pinched his face in rage. He lowered his hand to his hilt, and the very air seemed to shimmer with energy as he withdrew his glowing blade.

Blake had heard the moment he withdrew the weapon, and now, she looked on in horror at Adam's charged Wilt. "_**Yang!**_" Before she or Yang could move, however, Adam gave a hellish, demonic shout and launched a massive wave of his Semblance at her partner.

Yang stood to her feet before the wave enveloped her, and for a moment, she disappeared in the cloud of dust and the wave of red. However, when the air cleared, Yang stood still, her arms crossed over her face. Her left heel was backed completely to the edge of the rock bridge, a few disturbed pebbles plummeting to the water below. Her left hand gripped her right, metallic wrist as she held the prosthetic up before her face. Where once flesh had given, metal had held, and the only apparent damage was a few scratches to the yellow paintjob Yang had given the arm while on Patch.

Lowering the arm, Yang held her voice steady and glared at Adam. "Leave. Us. _Alone_," she uttered. "This is your last chance." She kept her body high and stiff, trying to keep the jittery burst of fear that had just fallen to the pit of her stomach from showing on her face. When Adam had unleashed Moonslice a moment before, she had seen him masked against a backdrop of flames in the ruined cafeteria. Her mind had told her that her arm was still attached, but before that, she hadn't known for sure. The block had been instinctive, and it had barely saved her. Desperately, she tried to keep that knowledge private.

However, her tremor betrayed her. Adam cast his withering gaze down to her wrist, noticed her trembling fingers, and he gave a short, baleful chuckle. "Do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away so you won't have to die trying to protect her?"

Yang growled at the implication and began to step forward before a hand closed over her own and soothed the trembling fingers. "She's not protecting me, Adam," Blake said sternly. Yang looked to her partner in surprise, and Blake's gaze held apology for a conversation during a blizzard that felt like so long ago. "And I'm not protecting her." Together, they turned and faced their enemy as Blake finished her decree. "We're protecting each other."

**Author's Note: Two more uploads to go. I've been receiving harassment from a reviewer threatening to report me to RT's mods. I'm hoping it doesn't happen, but then again, some people are just born unlucky. Here's to Volume Six! - Jek**


	87. Seeing Red

**Chapter Twelve: Seeing Red**

On the beach, the groundbound team were watching in horror as Manta 5-1 hurtled to its doom, when the airship unexpectedly stopped sparking and righted itself from its spiralling list. With a sharp turn, the Bullhead curved around and took evasive action as the Colossus continued to fire upon it. "_You just couldn't keep this rivalry between us, could you, Calavera? You had to rope in _children _to fail with you!_"

Between helping Maria in the cockpit by flipping whatever switches necessary to avoid the blasts from the mech cannon, Oscar's eyes locked onto a small dot of red against the gray backdrop of the cliffs. "Ruby!"

Ruby, however, was already in action. The attention of Calavera now focused elsewhere, the reaper took the opportunity to begin scaling her way back up the cliff with short hops, digging her scythe into the rock every few meters. After a few mighty tugs, she was able to pull herself back to the surface and landed alongside Weiss and Ren, with Qrow on a knee closeby.

"_Ruby, can you hear me?_" Oscar's voice crackled across comms. "_Are you guys okay?_" As he spoke, the Bullhead narrowly avoided a wind blast from the Colossus's giant Dust cannon.

"Are _we _okay?!" Ruby repeated incredulously.

"_I know, we were supposed to lay low, but listen!_" Oscar replied. "_I think I finally found a weakness!_"

"Well, we're all ears," came the tired voice of Nora. The group glanced over to see her supporting Jaune under his shoulder as they limped near, bodies bruised and Auras weak but none the worse for wear.

"Guys!" Ren cried in relief, running to their side to help Nora with Jaune.

Oscar continued, regardless of the reunion. "_The cylinder on Cordo's Dust cannon rotates and locks in a giant Dust cartridge every time she changes attack styles._"

Weiss was familiar with the concept, it being her own weapon's main feature, but didn't see how it helped them. "We noticed!"

"_Right, but her missile launcher doesn't lock in, it pops out!_" Oscar replied. "_Without her shields, one well-placed shot could detonate the missiles while they're still in the launcher!_"

"We could destroy the entire cannon," Jaune finished, a smile blooming on his face. "Oscar, that's brilliant!"

Nora looked to the group's resident sniper. "Can you… make that kind of shot?"

Ruby appeared thoughtful. "Well only get one chance before she catches on. I'd have to be practically staring down the barrel of her cannon."

"_Well I've got a way to guarantee that!_" Maria said dryly. In the sky, Manta 5-1 made a wide arc and zoomed to the shore where Ruby's team was standing. The airship pulled to a stop before them, the hangar door opening.

Ruby didn't give Cordo time to lock on, sprinting aboard the moment the ship stopped so that it could take off immediately. Qrow's worried cry of "Ruby, what're you doing?" was lost to her ears as the ship pulled away and picked up speed heading toward the Colossus.

In the mech's cockpit, Cordo's eyes flickered to a nearby viewscreen displaying a flashing message. _Argus Base, Incoming Call. _She stared at it in confusion, before Maria's voice over comms distracted her and the alert was forgotten. "_Hey, Cordo! I've got one missile left, and I know exactly where I'm gonna stick it!_"

Cordovin grimaced, but then paused, a smile staining her lips. She chuckled. "One missile, you say? That's a shame, Maria, because _I have plenty!_"

The mech raised its cannon arm toward the incoming airship, the missile launcher popping out at Cordo's command. In the Bullhead, Oscar's eyes went wide. He may have spotted the weakness, but this straightforward charge was insanity! "Are you two _crazy?!_" he cried in terror.

"Sometimes the best approach is simply the most direct!" Maria shouted back with a grin.

Ruby knelt down in the hanger and peered out through the open door, bracing her scythe as she peered through the scope. Her crosshairs blurred, then focused on one of the red heads of Cordovin's missiles as she steadied her hand. _Just a little… more…_

However, it was not to be. Squinting at the odd, seemingly suicidal attack, Cordo enhanced her feed of the incoming craft and saw the young Huntress leaning out of the door. In an instant, the jig was up. "You!" Cordovin pressed a button on her console even as Ruby fired, and the bullet just barely missed its mark as it _ping_ed off of the retreating missile launcher's metal hull.

Everyone's heart stopped. The Bullhead found itself looking down the barrel of the still-active Dust cannon as it began to charge up. There was no backup plan. "_You thought you could fool me?!_" Cordovin thundered, a ball of electricity crackling hungrily at the ready.

"_Pull up!_" Oscar shouted. Maria yanked the throttle back as hard as she could, but the blast of power still scraped Manta 5-1's belly. Lightning danced across the body of the ship, including in the cockpit, where the surge overloaded Maria's USB jack.

"Aa_Ahhh!_" Maria cried in pain, her blue photoreceptors flickering and shutting from the current. "I can't see! My eyes!"

"No, no, _no!_" Oscar shouted.

"Take the controls!" Maria commanded blindly. Not wasting time to argue, Oscar grabbed the copilot's throttle and desperately yanked it up. The diving ship once again saved itself from a watery grave, but the damage was done as Manta 5-1 careened toward the cliffs, alarms blaring through the cockpit.

"We're gonna crash, we're gonna crash!" Oscar screamed.

On the cliffs, the electrical blast had gone wide after hitting the Bullhead, scattering Qrow, Weiss, and JNPR. Now, as the smoke cleared, the five coughed and cleared their lungs. Jaune's eyes caught the ship. "Look!" he pointed. The others followed his finger with horror as they watched the ship finally ground itself with a loud _crash_ into the forest of evergreens.

Weiss gasped, but beside her, Qrow's senses went into protection mode as he immediately dove off the cliff and transformed into his bird form, flapping his wings as he flew toward the crash as quickly as possible.

The sight in the woods was not pretty. The impact had created a small crater in the ground, and several trees had been snapped short by the ship during its glide to the ground. A few instruments were sparking, and the alarms had trailed off into a drunken beeping before finally falling silent. However, Atlesian tech was the best in Remnant, and despite a few nasty dents in the outer metal, Manta 5-1 was intact.

Holding his head with a sharp groan, Oscar roused in the copilot's seat and surmised as much. "We're… we're still in one piece," he murmured, slightly surprised that he wasn't dead. However, the approaching sound of gigantic, lumbering footsteps wiped the relieved grin off of his face.

From the cargo bay, Ruby staggered out, wielding Crescent Rose, before she fell to her knees. Cordovin's brittle laughter split the air, and Ruby turned to see the Colossus watching them from the shore, surveying the furrow they'd carved into the forest. "_Very clever,_" Cordovin commended, "_but even the smartest apes can't compete with the intellect of man._"

Ruby pulled herself to her feet, using Crescent Rose as support. She turned again to see Oscar tending to Maria, whose goggles looked as if they'd been popped loose in several places. The lenses were still spinning and oblong, and Maria pounded and prodded them uselessly as she tried to get them to work. "Come on, come on!" The lenses wouldn't listen, still overloaded from the powerful blast of the Dust cannon.

Ruby stiffened. _Overloaded… the Dust cannon… _A new plan sprang to mind, one so crazy it shocked her with its boldness. However, Cordovin thought she was holding all the cards. If Ruby could play on that overconfidence just right…

Turning from Maria and Oscar, the young Huntress began to walk forward. A flapping of feathers sounded behind her, before something grabbed her by the wrist. "Ruby, _stop!_" came her uncle's voice. The girl paused, but when she looked back, her silver eyes bored into Qrow's with a determined blaze.

Qrow faltered, once again staring at the past. Ruby's hood could have been white as she told him, "I need you to trust me." Reluctantly, the man let Ruby slip her hand from his as she strode forward to confront Cordovin.

The scene was almost comical: the enormous form of the metal Colossus looming like Goliath over the Huntress barely a hundredth its size. The specialist raised the hand arm of the mech and pointed a finger at Ruby like a scolding parent. "_Surrender for your crimes, and accept your punishment,_" she ordered.

Ruby's response was as blunt as it was unexpected. "_**No!**_" Cordovin frowned, while the other students looked on and watched their leader's display. Ruby sank her scythe's hilt into the snow beside her defiantly. "We're going to Atlas. Bigger people than you have tried to stop us and failed, but we're supposed to be on the same side!

"We're supposed to use our power to protect people, but you just use yours to look down on everyone. We didn't _want _to steal from you, we did it because you gave us no other choice!" Ruby paused, let her words sink in. "Now, I'm giving you one last chance to stand down and hear us out!"

There was silence for a moment, and Ruby actually thought her words may have penetrated the metal and hit their mark in the specialist's mind. However, Cordo's cold reply a second later dashed that hope. "_I've heard enough_." The Colossus rotated, bringing its Dust cannon up to bear directly in the girl's face.

Ruby didn't recoil in fear or zip away with her Semblance. If anything, she appeared perturbed, mouth turned downward in a disappointed frown. At the hostile action, Jaune, Weiss, Ren, and Nora had all taken off in a desperate attempt to reach Ruby before it was too late.

"_Ruby!_" Oscar cried in alarm. Qrow's eyes widened as he watched his niece standing as still as a statue before the charging cannon, too late realizing he should have pulled her back when he had the chance.

Finally, Ruby moved, activating her Semblance in a burst of rose petals to dash… right into the cannon's waiting maw.

Oscar and Qrow gasped.

Cordovin's face flattened in shock. "_**What?!**_"

The sprinting group of warriors pulled to an abrupt, surprised stop. "She's _nuts!_" Nora cried.

However, the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place for Jaune, whose mouth broke into an awed smile as he realized Ruby's plan. "The missile launcher springs out," he recalled Oscar's words, "but the raw Dust gets _locked in!_" Within the cannon, which Caroline had lifted to point skyward, Ruby had dug her scythe into the metal, bracing herself as she stared at the hungry bead of electricity that would have consumed her. Ruefully, she reflected, _A much easier shot_. With a calming exhale, she leaped down and fired her scythe, the recoil sending her flying out even as the round hit home and the buzzing Dust exploded.

A red blur covered in electrical arcs of power shot out of Cordovin's cannon as, in the cockpit, her sensors went wild. Several began blaring and flashing red, indicating a critical failure in her cannon. Sure enough, on the outside, the explosion had set off a chain reaction with the rest of the Dust, triggering it all into a massive conglomerate of stone and ice.

"What? No! _No!_" Cordo cried futilely as the newfound weight dragged the ruined cannon down, planting itself in the water and pinning the mech in place.

The rose petals dissipated as Ruby's Aura finally broke from the glancing surge of electricity she'd been hit by as she shot herself out of the cannon. Her limp body floated like a ragdoll through the air, the scythe slipping from her fingers as she hurtled to the shore. A series of black glyphs slowed her momentum enough for Qrow to catch her in his arms. He turned to see Weiss collapsing with a moan, the last of her strength used to save her teammate.

Frantically, Qrow searched his niece's face for a sign of life. "Ruby? Ruby?!"

For a moment, her head hung limp, before she blinked her blurry eyes and offered him a weak but steady smile. "Told ya," she rasped.

The the background, the Bullhead hummed back to life, lifting itself from its crater. The group, aside from the weary Ruby, turned to see Maria's eyes still flickering but appearing to be nearly restored.

"Oh, don't tell me I missed it!" the Grimm Reaper complained.

* * *

_The beast stared hard at the girls before him. His eyes were locked onto the spot where their hands interlocked, clasped in solidarity. The gaze flicked up to their eyes. First, the lilac, which had hidden their fear of him between their fingers; then, the amber, which stared at him with steely determination._

_Despite himself, he grinned. _"You knew you couldn't win two-on-one at Haven. What makes you so sure you can win now?"

_Her response held no tremor, no betrayal of hesitancy. _"I don't have a choice. I have people who actually care about me," _he could see her grip tighten in her friend's hand, _"and I promised them I'd never leave them again. So I'm not dying now."

_He didn't answer her. His ruined visage flitted over to her blonde partner. _"You know, she made a promise to me, once. That she'd always be at _my _side." _He looked to the empty air beside him, managed to chuckle wryly. _"And look how well she's kept it."

Yang glared at her foe. Blake had never talked about Adam very much before Beacon had fallen, but she remembered a brief aside she'd shared with the team in Mountain Glenn, what felt like centuries ago, and Yang could surmise the rest. "Did she make that promise to you? Or to the person you were _pretending _to be?"

The sentence hung in the air for a long moment. Adam shifted topics. "So I just wasn't good enough for you."

Blake ignored the implication. "You know it's _so _much more than that."

"I know you've made your choice… and I've made mine," Adam ground out. His stance dropped to a slight crouch as his hand crept around Wilt's handle. Yang released Blake's hand at the sign of aggression and raised her fists boxer-style. Blake followed her lead, bringing up her flatblade to bear, ears curled.

There was one second of nothing, in which the world simply stood still and beheld the titans the universe had brought to bear. Then, as a unit, Blake and Yang rushed Adam, weapons drawn. The final confrontation had begun.

Both of the girls dodged Adam's first attack, Blake hurtling over him as Yang sidestepped. Pivoting, he slashed back and Yang as she fired her gauntlets to propell herself forward, but she slid to the ground and slipped beneath the blade, even as Blake landed a kick to his back. He grunted and caught Yang's metal arm on Wilt, but she turned and knocked him back with an elbow to the chest, then jumped to the other side to force him to divide his attention.

Blake rushed in with a cry, connecting on her second slash with Gambol Shroud, and even as Adam growled and swung, she had already decoyed away, leaving his sword to stab futilely into the ground. Blake took the opportunity and stepped on the blade before jumping over him and scoring another kick to his spine.

Adam flew through the air, and Yang came like a rocket to meet him, slugging him right in the stomach. The air knocked from his lungs, Adam gasped but stayed standing, barely deflecting Blake's sword only for Yang to creep in again and catch him across the face. He blocked a kick, then dodged a second that came down like a sledgehammer, but was once again overwhelmed by numbers as Blake seized the opening with a kick of her own.

Blake flipped backward to her ruined katana, lying in pieces on the ground, and found that the pistol was still intact. Grabbing the shattered blade by the handle, she threw it forward at the end of its ribbon. The blade pinwheeled through the air, but Adam batted it away and back to its owner. Yang gasped and darted forward before the blade could hit Blake, grabbing the ribbon and hurling the Faunus girl forward at the end of the rope.

Blake let go and crashed down on Adam with a cry, Gambol Shroud's flatblade throwing sparks with Wilt's sharpened edge. However, in the end, Adam's brute strength won out, and he parried her viciously, throwing her back through the air and off of the stone bridge they'd been fighting on.

Blake grunted as her body hit the cliffside hard and broke her Aura, a hand managing to catch a stray outcropping of rock by some serendipity. Yang turned to her teammate in alarm. "Blake!"

"Moment of truth, Yang!" Adam challenged. She turned to see him grinning nastily at her. "Do you think you're faster than you were at Beacon?"

_The beast heard her gasp, watched her eyes go wide and saw the tension in her fists loosen uncertainly, her flesh fingers trembling once more. He chuckled evilly. She was his. _"Me neither." _With fresh ferocity, he lunged forward and slashed twice, aiming for her head and her middle. She managed to evade the blade and absorbed a kick, then blocked another. Two more slashed missed the mark, but a rough impact from his shoulder knocked her to the ground. The red curtain fell once more over his vision. _"You're Aura's bound to be running low."

Yang panted, slowly got to her feet. Her eyes flicked over his shoulder to see her partner scaling the rock face, using whatever footholds she could find. Yang gasped as she slipped, but then sighed in relief as she grabbed an outcropping and held on.

"Hit me already!" Adam demanded. Yang refused, dodging his slices. His face went animal. "_What does she even __**see **__in you?!_" he cried as he leaped high, throwing his sword down in a spin. The gauntlet caught the blade before it could reach skin, but Adam's hair glowed, and as he caught Wilt, its red sharpness held the same hue. Staggered by the first attack, Yang was caught down the middle by the sword, grunting as her weakened Aura took the hit, sprawling back across the ground.

"_You're just a __**coward **__like __**her!**_" Adam raved, practically ballistic with absolute rage. He unleashed another wave of his power at her, but this time, Yang's jaw clenched. Her eyes finally flashed the same color as his sword as the wave engulfed her, shrouding her in dust and energy.

Adam sprinted in and raised his blade high, prepared to finish her off, and when he brought Wilt down with a final slash and met resistance, stopping his blade, he thought for a moment that he'd done it at last. However, his clenched mouth dropped open in surprise at the sight he beheld when the dust cleared.

Once more, metal had triumphed over flesh's failure. Wilt's red blade was held captive in the metal palm of Yang Xiao Long, and when she glared at him, her hair blazed like fire above eyes like twin rubies.

Yang glared at the man who had haunted her nightmares, and in his faltering gaze she saw the fear in his imperfect eyes, saw his muscles slacken at the sight of her, and for the first time, she could define who he was to her.

This creature before her was not an animal or beast.

He was not a monstrous, insurmountable foe.

He was not even an obstacle to be overcome.

He was mortal. He was weak. He… was just a man.

"_Gotcha._"

With a cry of liberation, Yang hauled him forward by his blade, reared back, and activated her Semblance, channeling all of the energy he'd fed into her into her fist as she punched him squarely in the ribs. Adam groaned loudly as he was hurled back through the air, his body actually carving a cracked path through the rock of the bridge like a meteor. His Aura shimmered and broke in a wave of crimson as he staggered to his feet. Instinctively, his hand went to Blush at his hip to retrieve his weapon, but his fingers found only air.

He looked down at surprise before his gaze darted back to the girl with the flaming hair. His sword rested right where he'd placed it, hanging by the blade from her metal palm. "I may not be faster," she said, pausing with a sigh as her own Aura finally cracked from her massive, Semblance-charged attack. She grinned at him, eyes once more a soft lilac. "But I'm smarter."

Adam stared at her, struck dumb.

Yang didn't hesitate, hauling back and throwing her captured trophy over the side of the bridge.

"_No!_" Adam cried, chasing after his sword as it fell. He dropped to his knees at the edge, but before he could track Wilt's descent to the depths, he was met with a fist to the jaw that knocked him backward.

"_Hiyahh!_" Blake cried as she leaped up, rewarded with a satisfying crack from her punch. Adam stumbled back from the blow, a small clatter coming from his heels. They both looked down to see he'd stepped on the broken fragments of Gambol Shroud's katana. As one they made a dash for the end still attached to the pistol, while behind, Yang scooped up the sharpened tip.

It was close, but Blake had moved faster. Her hand closed around the pistol's handle and she brought it up to bear with a fierce cry that echoed Yang's. Together, the girls thrust upward and downward and buried both of the pieces deep in Adam's torso, the tips protruding through to come out the other side of him.

_The beast had frozen at the first stab. His arms trembled as he looked down at himself, at the two small rips in the leather where hot blood was already pooling. His eyes had gone completely wide, his mouth suddenly very dry and hanging open._

"Oh," _he murmured, as if he'd merely learned something new about himself, as if these holes had always been a part of him and had only now found a physical manifestation. Together, the girls withdrew their blades, and free of their support, he stumbled forward. His gait was unsteady and erratic before he finally fell to his knees, panting in short, rasping breaths._

_His head felt as if lead weights had been attached. What little pain he felt seemed to radiate in waves across his chest. Wearily his lifted his head, tried to make his blurry eyes focus on something, and he found the waterfall. Trembling, he stared at the cascading blue and the steamy white awaiting him. And he thought it was beautiful._

In that moment, Yang was right.

Adam was no beast.

He was merely a man.

The red curtain finally lifted forever from his vision, and the last sensation Adam knew was the wind in his hair as he fell.

* * *

Blake flinched as the body crunched against a stone ledge below before splashing beneath the surface and disappearing from sight.

All at once, Blake felt dirty. She became suddenly and all too aware of the sticky blood on her fingers where it had run down her blade. Her shoulders heaved up and down, and she dropped to her knees and hurled the weapon away. The sobs came quickly, overtaking her, as she wept for the man Adam had been, the one that had been killed by the man she had just fought.

Yang was by her side in an instant, and Blake nearly threw herself into her friend's arms as she cried. Head buried in Yang's shoulder, Blake tried to stifle her sniffling. "I… I'm not gonna break my promise! I swear!"

Yang pulled back from her and stared into her eyes, their foreheads touching. "I know you won't," the brawler assured her. She lifted her metal hand to Blake's cheek, and the Faunus's fingers found it and clasped it like a lifeline.

The girls sat there for a long time, a pair of sisters comforting each other through their tears.

* * *

Blissfully unaware of what had transpired, Ruby and her team had all somewhat recovered and regrouped from the exhaustive battle with the mech and now played silent audience to the rage of Specialist Caroline Cordovin.

"_No!_" Cordo shrieked from within her cockpit. "_No, no, no, __**no!**_" The mech heaved and tried to right itself, but the Dust-riddled cannon kept it stuck in place with its weight. "_You! You're never getting to Atlas, do you hear me?! __**Never!**_"

In the Bullhead, Oscar jumped as the radio suddenly buzzed to life with Cordo's voice. "_All forces converge on my position and eliminate these pests at once!_"

"Crap!" Oscar cried.

"Everyone on board!" Maria ordered beside him. "We're making a run for it!"

"What about Yang and Blake?" Jaune asked.

Before anyone could respond, however, a man's frantic voice came through on the comms, clearly directed at Cordovin. "_Ma'am, we've been trying to reach you! Argus is in danger!_"

Ruby could practically hear the blood draining from Caroline's face. "_What?_"

In the midst of the mech battle, the Atlesian personnel on hand had been eagerly cheering on their leader. However, their distraction by the mech fight had drawn them away from their screens, and they hadn't noticed the approaching red dot on radar that confirmed something large was approaching from the sea.

Now, the guards frantically scurried to ready their fighters as the unknown threat presented itself. Some stopped in horror and stared as a looming, black _thing _lumbered ever closer to the city of Argus. The Grimm before them towered several stories tall, with webbed flippers and a spine that protruded in spikes from its wet skin. The head was narrow and delphinic and housed a maw of razor sharp teeth that could crush a Bullhead like paper.

The Grimm shrieked into the air, seeming to shake the ground with its haunting howl. However, it was not alone. Drawn by the terror of citizens panicked by the quaking of the mech fight, a swarm of Sphinxes and Mantacores had fallen upon Argus, wreaking havoc while the pilots scrambled their fighters to combat them.

Over the radio, the soldier announced, "_It's a Leviathan! It began its approach during your battle! We need you!_"

Ruby gasped as the full impact of their 'victory' hit home. She remembered what Jaune had said earlier, about the Colossus likely being meant for large Grimm from deeper waters. Now, she and her friends stared uselessly at the struggling mech as it vainly tried to budge its ruined cannon, wondering what in the world they were going to do now.

**Author's Note: So here I'll address the two themes that I chose for Adam this Volume: 'seeing red' and 'the beast.' Seeing red actually happened to be a coincidence, as I hadn't though about this chapter's title at the time I began having the 'red curtain' fall over Adam's vision whenever he went off, but I wanted to show his debilitation and the way his obsession over Blake could at some times completely dominate him and infuriate him.**

**As for the beast, I had premeditated writing Adam as a third person perspective when I first began rewatching the Volume in preparation to write. I thought of how interesting it would be to occasionally look at the events of the Blake/Yang/Adam fight from his perspective, and seeing that he doesn't even think of himself as a man anymore, which was ironic, since the cause he fought for was all about equality. All of it was just to show how far he had fallen from the ideologue he may have once been, and all because of his obsession with Blake.**

**But I digress. Another fantastic chapter, a blast to write, and the penultimate chapter to the finale. Coming at you later today! Enjoy! - Jek**


	88. Our Way

**Chapter Thirteen: Our Way**

**Mistralian Forests, Kingdom of Mistral**

A chorus of crickets played silent symphony to the night sky as stars twinkled like dancers overhead. Each insect was maestro of his own instrument, and the gentle chirping remained the soft music of the night.

Abruptly, the peace was broken as the quiet _hum _of an engine filled the air. The Mistralian airship, with its finlike sails and its spinning propeller, touched down softly in the forest clearing. The crickets grew silent in the presence of this new arrival, waiting to see what would come of it.

With a gentle _wshh_, the doors opened and revealed the pilot. Neopolitan had changed her outfit, replacing her old, torn white coat with a new brown jacket, trimmed with pink at the shoulders and pulling up short at her midriff. Below her navel, she sported a new pair of white pants, and she'd allowed her pink and brown hair to flow more freely in a cascade of color down her back. She still wore the bowler hat atop her head, and had recently retrieved a gray scarf, another memento of his which currently adorned her neck.

Neo's smirk disappeared as she took sight of an approaching figure. Cinder had evidently changed her look as well, trading in her billowy yellow sackcloth for a new black tank top that left her shoulders bare. A cape draped over her left side, covering her gloved Grimm hand, both also black. Over her right breast, she'd pinned a small arrangement of blue feathers Neo could remember from their days working with Adam Taurus. The final elements of the ensemble were the knee-high black heels and the new leather patch strapped across her face to cover her ruined left eye.

Cinder looked to Neo's captured vessel as if it were barely worth her attention. "It should get us to Solitas. After that, you might want to try materializing yourself some snow boots." She continued forward as Neo rolled her eyes and hopped out of the aircraft.

Cinder halted as Neo held up her hand, slight annoyance adorning the Maiden's face. The shorter girl turned to the ship and placed her palm on its wooden hull, bowing her head and closing her eyes in apparent concentration. After a moment, a wave of Semblance power radiated outward from Neo's hand across the ship, the shimmering pink transforming wood to metal as she airship morphed to take on the look of an Atlesian Bullhead.

The power rippled quickly back to the source, revealing the airship once more, and Neo bent over slightly, as if weakened by the effort. However, she straightened and turned to Cinder with a sly smirk and a snap of her fingers.

Cinder grinned at the demonstration. Perhaps running into the little mercenary hadn't been the worst thing to happen to her. "You know, Neo," she began walking forward to board the vessel, Neo behind her, "someone once asked me if I believed in destiny." The doors began to close, but the new darkness of the cargo hold did nothing to disguise the evil glimmer in Cinder and Neo's eyes. "And I'm happy to say, I still do."

* * *

**Argus, Kingdom of Mistral**

At the tip of Anima, the Atlesian military had finally mustered their forces to combat the army of Grimm descending upon the city. In the air, pilots dueled with the Sphinxes and Mantacores, cutting the monsters down in any way possible. The Grimm responded in kind, smashing into the ships or spitting balls of fire.

However, while the aerial battle appeared evenly matched, the Leviathan encountered little effective opposition. The monstrous Grimm continued its approach toward Argus with single-minded determination, shaking off the occasional strafing bombardment by Bullheads. With a roar, the beast ducked low and submerged itself, the reptilian tail being the last thing to disappear beneath the waves.

From the control tower, a frantic officer looked to a live feed from a Bullhead to see the huge silhouette and the glowing red eyes and mask markings of the Leviathan weaving through the water under the surface like a crocodile. "All units, be advised: Leviathan-level Grimm has submerged but is still on approach. Preparing hard-light shields, over!"

Another voice broke through on comms, that of a pilot. "_We're getting slammed by hostiles out here! Where is Cordovin?!_"

The specialist in question was still stuck in place within her mech, pinned by the weight of the Dust explosion from her ruined cannon arm. With venom, she turned and gazed out the viewport to the gathered students on the shoreline. "_This is your fault! Do you hear me?!_"

Ruby and her friends looked from the mech to the ocean the Leviathan had occupied, their triumph quashed by the sudden danger they had brought upon the people. However, before the reaper could make any move to answer Cordovin, there came a voice from behind.

"Ruby!" called Yang. The students turned to see her sprinting side by side with Blake out of the snowy woods, the latter absent her white coat.

Despite the pressing threat, Ruby felt a small sense of relief pass through her body at the sight of her teammates safe and sound. "Yang! Blake! Are you okay?"

Upon seeing the grounded Colossus, however, the duo pulled up short, the full impact of Adam disrupting their part in the mission becoming dreadfully clear. "What happened?" Blake murmured, still slightly unable to believe things had gone so wrong.

Any answer for the Faunus was interrupted by a bellowing roar that split the air. Everyone turned toward the shoreline leading to Argus. "Was that a giant Grimm?" Yang asked, horrified.

"Yes," answered Weiss, her voice and face hard. "And we just ruined the only thing capable of stopping it."

* * *

Cordovin continued grunting and struggling with her controls in a desperate effort to free her mech as Manta 5-1 rose into the air and took off toward the city of Argus. Ruby cast a pitying eye downward as the aircraft rose, Cordovin's shriek of frustration making her cringe.

The specialist watched them go within the cockpit, fuming all the while. "This is _your _fault! _Your fault!_" She growled and futilely pressed buttons and levers, to no avail.

The comms crackled to life, an operator's shaky voice coming through to say, "_Ma'am, what's your status? We need an answer, over._"

Cordovin bowed her head in despair. "Your… fault…"

In the Bullhead, the mood was no less desperate. Blake sat to one side, looking like the weight of the world had come crashing down on her failure. "I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be," Yang told her, covering her hands with her own. "This isn't on you."

"But-"

"You're safe," Ruby said, dropping to her knees to clasp one of Blake's hands. "That's all that matters."

Reluctant but grateful, Blake sniffled and smiled as Ruby pulled her into a hug. Ruby opened her eyes in the embrace and glanced to her sister. Yang met her gaze and managed a smile of her own.

"I suppose I have to be the bad guy and say it," Maria interrupted, "getting the lamp to Atlas is still our top priority, and right now we have the perfect opportunity to head straight for it. We may not get another chance like this."

Ruby turned to speak, but Yang beat her to the punch. "No way!"

"We can't leave," Weiss agreed, "not like this."

"It's like you said," Blake added, "a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end."

Maria glanced at Ruby, but the young leader shrugged, her response summed up by her teammates'. Maria turned back to the controls and grinned, pleased with their resolve. Ruby swiveled to face the others. "We need to head for the Leviathan. Jaune, can you and Ren be ready to mask our ship?"

The boys traded a look. "I think we can manage," Ren affirmed with a nod.

"Got a few ideas?" Jaune asked.

"I've got one," she replied.

"Eyes up, everybody," came Qrow from the passenger seat, "it's back."

Indeed, beneath the battling forces of Grimm and Bullheads in the air, the Leviathan had once more breached the surface, throwing its head back with a roar as giant waves of water fell from its dark, scaly flesh. The radio crackled to life, the Atlesian personnel having also noticed the creature's reemergence. "_Argus Base, this is Manta 3-4! Leviathan has hit the shallows and resurfaced! We need those shields up now, over!_"

Moments later, rings of towers rose out of the ocean, surrounding the city of Argus. With a mechanical _whirr_, the towers began spinning and projected forth a barrier of hard-light Dust as a shield for the settlement. The Leviathan lumbered forward mindlessly into the shield, roaring in annoyance as its bony faceplate bounced off the barrier. "_Target stopped!_" came an pilot's voice. "_Engaging, over!_" A pair of Bullheads made a strafing run and launched a barrage of missiles at the beast, but there was no discernible effect.

Shaking off the attack, the creature lifted its delphinic head, a menacing glow filling its mouth and gills. With a roar, the Grimm launched an energy beam toward the shield barrier. The hard-light Dust held, but when the beam traveled over to one of the projection towers, the machine exploded. With one tower down, the entire outer ring failed, its blue shield flickering out and leaving only two more barriers in the Grimm's way. The Leviathan loosed another roar, the glow fading from its gills, and lumbered forward once more.

The teens looked on in horrified shock. Numbly, Oscar said, "It tore straight through!"

"_All squadrons,_" came the controller's voice, "_fall back to evacuation procedures. Disengage Leviathan, I repeat, disengage, over!_"

"No, wait!" Ruby cried, dashing forward. The others looked at her as she snatched the radio up, her uncle calling her name, before she depressed the transmit button. "We can stop it!"

The controller's voice came through skeptical and confused. "_Who is this? Identify yourself!_"

"I'm a Huntress," Ruby hastily explained. "My team and I are heading to the Leviathan and can weaken it for you to attack!"

Her team looked at her as one with shock. "We can?" Jaune repeated.

Ruby turned to him, silver eyes flashing. "_I _can."

"Ruby," Maria said as she picked up on the girl's meaning, "when I said trial by fire…"

"I did it at Beacon," Ruby cut off. "And at the farm."

"You really think you can do it now?" Weiss asked.

A flicker of uncertainty passed through the reaper, but she pushed it aside and gave a face of resolve. "I don't have a choice."

The radio crackled on. "_Manta 5-1, your ship is currently flagged as hostile. You will receive no support, over._"

Ruby was silent for a moment, then replied, "Fine. We'll do it alone if we have to. We can hit it while it's stopped at the next barrier." She put down the broadcaster and turned to her friends. "Ren, you're up." Jaune placed an affirming hand on Ren's shoulder, their bodies glowing with individual Auras at the joining point, and Ren closed his eyes and began to concentrate as Maria brought Manta 5-1 into the fray.

The Bullhead became one of many in the tumultuous battle for the skies. All around, Atlesian ships dueled with Manticores and Sphinxes, and explosions filled the air. Below, the Leviathan was nearing the second shield barrier as Maria brought the ship into a dive.

However, Qrow's eyes went wide as the telltale glow once again filled the creature's gills and mouth. "We're too late!" he cried. "Pull up!"

With a jerk, the ship stopped short, barely missing a collision with the black, scaly skin of the beast as the Leviathan let loose with its beam of destruction once more, dispatching of the second ring of defenses. The flaming attack shot through the sky and through one of the taller buildings of Argus, raining rubble down to the streets on the heads of the terrified citizens.

Jaune and Ren both collapsed, Auras flickering out. "Dammit!" Jaune said weakly.

"That's all I've got," Ren followed, sounding similarly drained.

Blake watched as the oceanic Grimm continued its approach toward the city. "It's on the move again. We need to stop it!"

"What do we do?" Yang asked, turning to her sister. Ruby didn't reply. For her plan to work effectively, she would have to come in very close range to the Leviathan. However, they couldn't just let the beast make landfall, or it would demolish Argus.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind, and the reaper's gaze flicked over to Weiss.

* * *

With Ren and Jaune both drained of Aura, Manta 5-1 was no longer cloaked to the Grimm's detection. However, that was exactly what Ruby's plan needed: a diversion. As the ship darted around the colossal Grimm like a gnat, the cargo bay doors popped open, revealing Nora and Yang, both with their weapons drawn.

"Eyes on us, ugly!" Nora cried as she began to rain down fire with Magnhild's grenade launcher. Yang followed suit with Ember Celica, the shots not near enough to damage the Grimm but a suitable annoyance to capture its attention.

"Is it working?" Blake asked over the _phoom-phoom _of Nora's weapon.

Maria watched as the monster turned away from the city towards this new nuisance. "Unfortunately, yes! Hang on!"

Maria began evasive maneuvers, while Blake ran over to Weiss and grabbed the heiress's shoulders to stabilize her. Weiss had used up her gravity Dust to catch Ruby during her earlier fall from the cannon, and as such was only held in place by Myrtenaster as she cast her Summoning glyph.

Unnoticed in the wake of the ship was the source of that glyph, the Queen Lancer Summon with Ruby riding astride. The young Huntress did her best to quiet her nerves as the Summon swooped over the ocean to bring her in front of the Leviathan. "Okay, okay, you can do this… You _have _to do this."

The Queen Lancer stopped before the beast, still distracted by her teammates' fire, and Ruby stared up at its enormous mass. For a moment, she was awed by the size and began to doubt whether she truly could do this.

_No, don't think that. Think about the Wyvern at Beacon. This thing can't be bigger than that. _

With a calming breath, Ruby closed her eyes and drowned out the background noise, from the explosions of the battling airships and Grimm; to the foamy slapping of the ocean waves; to the gentle, buzzing flutter of the Summon's wings as it hovered in the air.

"_Ruby? Ruby, hurry, something's-!_"

Ruby growled at the distraction of her sister's voice and reached up to her ear. Without a second thought, she tossed her earpiece into the ocean, then took another deep breath, and-

_And now there is a girl. She stands in the midst of a battle, with lives hung in the balance, with friends acting as a diversion, as a dormant power within her begins to stir. The girl allows her memory to drift back over the span of her life, over her experiences, her family, her friends. She thinks of her father, standing beside him her sister as a child, both with a smile as radiant as their blond hair. She remembers screams of joy and indignance and slight fear at the sight of a small dog panting on the floor of a dorm room. The memories come easily, for they are many: her team and her friends making a mess of a cafeteria; devouring bowls of noodles after a victory in battle; a blond boy struggling not to be sick on the deck of an airship; waving to a ginger-haired girl with a pink bow…_

_The girl's brow knits. Suddenly, these memories that flow so easily bring flashes of pain. She wants to stop them, but onward they come. A red-haired girl, a friend, with a smile that reaches her dazzling emerald eyes; that same girl, on the blond boy's Scroll, as he trains in solitary anguish in the forests of Mistral. Desperately, she tries to avoid the red-haired girl, even so desperate as to see her sister and friend lying maimed and wounded before her, to hear cold rejection_ _in her sister's voice as she chooses to keep her pain inside, but that one memory, that night, will not be denied._

_A ginger-haired girl, with a pink bow, lying in pieces on an arena floor, a fraud exposed to mankind…_

_A raven-haired Maiden standing triumphantly on top of a tower, as the red-haired girl rests vanquished on her knees with a glass arrow through her heart… _

The exhale felt warm and smelled of salt and decay as it washed over Ruby. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes to find the Leviathan staring directly at her, the distraction her teammates provided somehow forgotten. "What?" she exclaimed in a small, terrified voice.

The barrage from Nora and Yang continued, but the Grimm had apparently lost interest. "Why did it turn away?!" Yang cried.

Suddenly, Ruby gasped and realized what had happened. "No, no, no, no!" she cried as she glanced down at her belt, where the Relic of Knowledge sat, and recalled Ozpin's words about the Grimm being attracted to it. However, the Leviathan was not forgiving, and it reared back its head and lunged forward, maw wide and gaping to swallow the girl whole.

In a moment of sheer, instinctive terror, Ruby recoiled and shouted, "_J-JINN!_"

Everything stopped.

The rapid flutter of the Queen Lancer's wings stilled to nothing; the air battle between man and monster froze; the waves fell silent; even Yang's horrified cry of "_Rubyyyyy-!_" stretched into nothingness.

Hesitantly, Ruby lowered her arms and opened her eyes to find herself still alive. From behind her came the rattling of chains and the sound of mist, only able to be heard because of the silence of the void. The reaper allowed herself a small sigh of relief, feeling a cold sweat down the small of her back. "I'm sorry," she said without turning. "I don't have a question for you… I just… I just needed a little more time."

Slowly, the Huntress turned to see the nymphlike Jinn staring sternly down at her, arms crossed. "I know," Jinn said, perturbed. It was a strange contrast to the last time she'd been called upon, when even Ozpin's outburst hadn't fazed her, almost as if she were offended at having been called upon and yet not being used to fulfill her purpose. The being from the lamp gestured and held up a finger. "And while you don't _seek _knowledge, just this once, I shall give it freely." She leaned forward, pinning Ruby in place with her hard gaze. "I will _not _allow you to use me without a question again."

Ruby looked like a wilting flower from the scolding. She almost felt like she was back at Beacon and receiving a stern talking-to from Glynda Goodwitch. However, a moment later, Jinn's stony expression reluctantly broke, and she quirked a small smile at the girl. "Even if this was clever."

Ruby gave the sage woman a grateful, understanding nod and a small, nervous smile, then turned back to the Grimm, frozen mid-lunge. Jinn floated back in her cloud of mist, as if to watch what Ruby would do. The young Huntress took another deep breath, focused on the silence of Jinn's realm, and-

_And once more, there is a girl. While the battle around the girl has fallen silent, the battle within her rages on. In her mind, she stares down her own demons, twisting serpents that leech her resolve. They take many shapes, these things that sap her will: perhaps a woman dressed in red, with one eye and short, raven hair; perhaps another woman, this one a demoness in her own right with bone-white skin and fiery red eyes; perhaps, even, a bespectacled man with a cane and silvery-white hair._

"_Look at what I have taken from you," says the one-eyed woman, "and know that I shall do it again."_

"_Despair, little flower," says the eldritch witch, "for you cannot prevent that which shall come to pass."_

"_Give up," says the man of the millenia with pity, "as I have. This fight cannot be won."_

_The girl stares at these apparitions, these fears within herself, and she realizes something. Behind them, dormant but not dead, lies a light, shining and silver and singing with the love of life. It yearns to be free, to come to her, to be a weapon in her hands, but these demons hold it prisoner. _

_In one moment, the girl turns her back on them. She drowns out their cries, their whispers that attempt to seduce her to surrender, and instead she focuses on that light, and once more do her memories come._

_With the light now holding darkness at bay, the girl recalls the first day of class, when she and her team decorated their room; she remembers an enemy turned friend bearing a cup of coffee and a friendly smile late at night._

_The light shines brighter, fueled by this vibrant remembrance of life, and surges forth to protect it even as more memories emerge. A Faunus, cheering on an heiress during combat class; a kindly smiling sister preparing to head off to Beacon; all three of them sitting with her on the edge of a cliff after a long and weary night of battle._

_The girl smiles, and lets the light and the warmth take her. The blond boy clad in a dress dances with the red-haired girl; both of them with their other two teammates in the middle of a colosseum; a grizzled man with feathery hair who takes her as his own niece; a farmer boy, reassured of his purpose by her words of encouragement; a sly old woman and new mentor; the gentle hands of a ginger-haired girl with a pink bow who isn't flesh and blood, but is human nonetheless. _

_The light surges forth, rising like the moon, as one final image comes to the forefront of the girl's mind. A woman stands on a cliff, overlooking a beautiful sunset over an ocean bluer than the sky. The woman turns, her white cape and red-black hair waving in the wind, and the smile she gives her daughter reaches her own silver eyes… _

Ruby's eyes snapped open as time unfroze. Brief noises like the crashing waves, the battling ships, and the flapping wings of the Summon were afterthoughts as her world was consumed by white. The power of the Silver Eyes flowed forth from within her, consuming the Leviathan before her as it gave an anguished roar that was cut suddenly short.

When Ruby blinked, the light had vanished, and before her, the Leviathan had become a statue of stone in the bay. With a small sigh of relief, she turned to the city of Argus, where the citizens and military alike clapped their hands and cheered at her feat. However, before she could make another move, Ruby heard a crackling sound behind her. When she turned, her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the Leviathan's head moving, the stone around it cracking free. For whatever reason, she hadn't fully petrified it, as she had the dragon at Beacon, but merely encased it in stone. Now the beast struggled to free itself from its prison, the stone beginning to split and weaken under its movement.

Ruby felt her hope falter. The beast would free itself, and then it would rampage over Argus. All she had done was delay the inevitable. "_No…_"

"_I'll take it from here!_"

Ruby's eyes snapped to the side in surprise, as did those of her teammates still circling overhead. There, at the end of the coastline, was Specialist Caroline Cordovin's Colossus, absent of its cannon arm as it began to run at the trapped Grimm. Unbeknownst to Ruby, Cordo had heard her broadcast to the Argus military base, and now, the Specialist was prepared to fulfill her duty. "_After all,_" she cried as a large, mining drill appeared in place of the mech's left hand, "_I was sworn to protect the people!_"

With the drill spinning, Cordo's mech leaped forward and impaled the Leviathan, drilling through the thin stone shell surrounding it and into the vulnerable flesh beneath. The beast howled in anguish before its cries fell silent, and as its head fell limp, the titanic body began to dissolve to ash and float away on the wind.

Before Ruby, the Colossus turned to her, its cockpit folding open to reveal the Specialist staring coolly at her from within. After a long moment, Ruby gave a slight nod. "Thank you. And… I'm sorry."

Cordo stared at the girl silently for a few heartbeats, then replied, "The Atlas military can handle the stragglers."

Ruby looked up at the woman in surprise. "What… what are you saying?"

For the first time since they'd met, Cordo gave the girl a genuine smile, the reaper's selfless defense of Argus having struck a chord within the military woman. "I'm saying I don't think anyone would notice if one more ship went missing in my… _lengthy_… report."

Ruby's surprise melted into a smile of understanding and gratitude. Without further delay, Cordo closed the cockpit once more and made an about face, running off in her mech to help her men mop up the remaining Grimm while Ruby waited on the Queen Lancer to be picked up by her team.

* * *

**Manta 5-1, Skies Near Atlas**

After such a long and taxing day-physically, emotionally, and spiritually-the serenely beautiful and silent twilight sky was as close to therapeutic. Manta 5-1 cruised gently above the clouds with Maria and Qrow up front while the kids rested in the back. It almost felt as if everyone had breathed a collective sigh of relief; for the first time since the Battle of Haven, they felt they'd won the day, and though the road ahead looked more uncertain than ever, they were lucky enough to still be on it, and still all be together.

"We should have just enough fuel to make it," Maria told Ruby, who stood behind her and Qrow.

"Thanks, Miss Calavera," Ruby replied, turning to walk back to her friends.

"Hey, Ruby," her uncle stopped her. She turned back to him to see him give her a proud smile. "You did great out there today, kid. Just don't go givin' me heart attacks like that again." Almost unconsciously, he moved to raise his flask to his lips, but he stopped before it made it to his lips and set it back in his lap.

Slightly relieved, Ruby embraced Qrow around the neck from behind. "I love you, too." With that, she turned and walked back to the cargo bay.

"You weren't half bad yourself today, Qrow," Maria added once Ruby was out of earshot.

Qrow glanced at her in mild surprise to hear a compliment, a slight smile touching his lips until he frowned with a sigh. "I feel like _they _did all the heavy lifting."

"But you _were _there to help when they asked for it. And you were there to catch them when they fell." Maria grinned wryly. "Literally, if I recall."

Qrow gave her a sideways smile. "Thanks." He paused. "You know, it was pretty incredible getting to see the Grimm Reaper in action."

"Ha!" she chuckled dryly. "You should've seen me when I was your age." He grinned, and they both gazed out into the starry night sky.

In the rear, the teens had all listened as Blake and Yang told them in greater detail about their ordeal with Adam and how it had interrupted the mission. Weiss, who understood far too well the fear of being controlled by someone close to her, was the first to speak. "I'm sorry you went through that nightmare. But, I'm glad Yang was there for you in time."

Blake gave a half-smile as Yang glanced at her and slipped her hand over the Faunus's. Softly, the brawler replied, "We were there for each other." Blake met her teammate's eyes and found within them something she'd thought she'd never see again after Beacon, something she'd caught hints of at Haven and on the Argus Limited. The wounds were closed; the past was forgiven.

Across the cabin, Nora smiled as Ren patted Jaune's shoulder. "Took the words right out of my mouth!"

Everyone turned to the front of the ship, where Ruby had been watching happily at their discussion. However, as every gaze settled on her, she felt an awkward embarrassment rise in her. "Hey, stop it!" she warned.

Ren wouldn't have it. "You petrified a Leviathan. _After_ diving down the barrel of a cannon!" he said with unusual emotion.

Ruby chuckled uncomfortably at the praise. She knew they didn't mean any harm, but she wasn't really much of a glory seeker; she simply did the right thing because it was the right thing to do. "Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before!" Her eyes swept the cabin and stopped on the person closest to her. "I mean, Oscar made a successful crash landing!" She looked around at them and gestured at him with both hands. "He's a fourteen-year-old farmhand!"

"That was seriously impressive," Jaune admitted with a grin.

"We'd have been stranded without you," Blake agreed.

Oscar sat with his legs crossed and his arms folded across his chest, appearing slightly nervous. "I… thanks, but… I've been meaning to tell you guys, I _didn't _land the ship on my own."

* * *

**Argus, Kingdom of Mistral, Earlier… **

The Bullhead spiraled out of control, heading for the coastline as sensors beeped madly from Cordovin's electrical attack. Maria was still shouting in pain and fiddling with her goggles, while in the back, Ruby hung on for dear life just to keep from flying out of the ship. In the passenger seat, Oscar gripped the control joystick tightly, terrified and not knowing what to do.

"We're gonna crash, _we're gonna crash!_" he screamed in terror.

"_Stay calm._" Oscar started from shock as a familiar voice in his head began to instruct him. "_It's going to be okay_."

* * *

**Manta 5-1, Skies Near Atlas, Now… **

"Ozpin took control?!" Nora exclaimed. She and the rest of the students all stared at Oscar, wide-eyed at this new revelation.

"No," Oscar replied uncomfortably, "he guided me." His head dipped, almost as if he missed the presence in his mind despite the headmaster's secrets.

Across the cabin, Yang's surprise turned to slight suspicion. "Does that mean he's been watching us this whole time?"

Oscar thought for a moment. "I don't know, but… it at least means he was looking out for us."

Ruby pondered this for a moment. True, Ozpin had lied to them, had kept his secrets, but at the same time, she had thought about Jinn's vision for the past few days with every spare second. Even if there truly was no way to win the fight against Salem, of which she still wasn't _entirely _sure, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the headmaster. She remembered the heartbreak on his face after the vision had ended, had seen his tears. That sorrow, that anguish, had been genuine, and her heart ached for the man. For now, however, she kept her thoughts to herself. They would do her no good with her team at the moment, and there really was nothing they could do about the situation until they got to Atlas and filled in General Ironwood on the situation. Then, hopefully, Ozpin would emerge and provide some form of council, whatever it may be.

Ruby was disturbed from her thoughts by her uncle's voice. "Hey, if you've never seen Atlas in person before, you don't wanna miss this." Ruby walked back to the cockpit, the others following behind her. "Is it weird that I'm sorta nervous?" she asked.

"No," her sister replied, smirking tiredly at her. "I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it."

Beside her, Weiss smiled. "Well, believe it."

The two girls turned as the Bullhead broke through the last of the clouds and the city of Atlas came into view. Before them in the sky hovered the awesome sight of a city in the stars, held aloft by an enormous floating island. Amity Arena from the Vytal Festival Tournament looked puny in comparison to this mammoth settlement, looking as if it had been carved straight out of the earth and propelled into the air. Machinery at the base likely housed massive storages of gravity Dust like the islands of Lake Matsu in Mistral, and on top of the rock, a crystalline city shined under Remnant's broken moon. There wasn't a building that didn't twinkle like a gem, and what appeared to be an energy barrier system similar to Argus's surrounded the borders of the island as protection against attacks from Grimm or man.

The bottom of the structure was tethered to the Earth by a series of cables, which stretched around and into a massive crater in Remnant's surface from which the levitating landmass was formed. Surrounding the crater was the city of Mantle, the former capital of the Kingdom, which glowed with warm bright light from thousands of smaller buildings, none as grandiose and spectacular as those of Atlas above. Within the crater, smoke rose from the SDC Dust quarries and dissipated right before reaching the capital city above.

In the cabin, JNR and Oscar looked through one of the rear viewports. Nora pressed her face into the glass and uttered an awed, "_Wow!_"

"You know," Maria said, "you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view." She smiled, but frowned a moment later as one of her photoreceptors jarred out of place again, still not quite repaired from Cordo's earlier blast. "Oh, come on!" she complained, banging on the headset.

Behind her, Weiss leaned forward, a look of concern knitting her brow. Ruby noticed her friend's worry. "Weiss? What is it?" She and the others followed her gaze skyward, higher than the floating island to the stars above.

There, standing silent guardian to Atlas, was a vast fleet of eaglelike ships and tinier, gnatlike Bullheads. "The Atlas Air Fleet," Weiss said numbly. She seemed stunned at the sheer volume of ships, all with their guns pointed outward, away from the city. "I knew all of our ships were called back, but…"

Qrow finished her thought. "They're set up like they're expecting an attack."

The radio crackled to life, drawing their attention from the ominous military presence overhead. A female operator's voice came over the channel.

"_Manta 5-1, welcome home…_"

* * *

**Salem's Fortress, Domain of Darkness**

A Nevermore screeched in the sky outside Salem's Fortress. Emerald squinted in the dim light of the hallway before walking into the dark lady's conference hall. Glass from the shattered windows still covered the floor, and the table and chairs were still similarly overturned, as if no soul had been brave enough to trespass on this room and restore it to order after witnessing Salem's rage. Emerald couldn't say she blamed them.

To the right of the room, looking out the same windows they both had the first time Salem had given her inner circle their orders before the Battle of Haven, was Mercury. Emerald had come looking for him, strangely wishing to apologize for their fight the day before. She'd looked for him in the training room and in the rooms they stayed in-she still couldn't bring herself to call them _their _rooms, despite having lived in them since Haven, and the Fall of Beacon before that-and had finally stopped here.

Carefully stepping over broken glass, she approached him. "Mercury," she began, "I wanted too…" However, as his face came into view, she paused. In the hellish crimson hue the sky cast upon his face, Mercury looked absolutely terrified, his eyes wide and trembling as his mouth hung slightly agape. His gaze was fixed on the pits outside of the castle, those pits of tar that spawned the Grimm. Emerald followed his eyes and was surprised to see Salem not only outside but near one of those pits. "What is she doing?" the girl murmured with dread, more to herself than to Mercury.

Down below, Salem's glowing red eyes were fixed on the pool, where a shape was emerging from the ichor. The shape quickly revealed itself to be an apelike Beringel, the sticky substance dripping from its body as it realized its unholy birth into the world. The witch gave the beast no time to adapt to its sudden semblance of life as she twisted her fingers, dark magic flowing through her body. The Beringel roared as she raised her hands, its back bubbling as if made of fluid, before a set of wings sprouted from its shoulder blades.

The new members flapped instinctively a few times as the creature grunted. Salem approached it and stroked its face with motherly tenderness, a gentle smile on her lips. The smile turned sinister as the monster gained strength. With a roar, the mutated Grimm flew into the air and perched itself on a rocky outcropping among a flock of its brethren. Emerald's eyes scanned the cliffs at the base of the tower and noticed with growing horror that Salem was surrounded by the beasts, evidently having been at work for a long time.

"There's an old saying." Emerald and Mercury turned to see Hazel, who had silently entered the room. He strode slowly over to them and looked down to the sight that had held them in morbid fascination. The three of them watched as Salem continued her toiling, another Grimm emerging from the pools as Hazel said with quiet menace, "If you want something done right… do it yourself."

**Author's Note: So... it's been a few minutes, hasn't it? Not quite the May date I'd set for this chapter, but I'm finally back with my laptop and ready to write. November seems so far away right now, but as soon as Volume 7 is out, I'll be there writing as the chapters come.**

**I knew going into this chapter that writing the scene where Ruby flashes back to activate her eyes was going to be a challenge, and I think I surprised even myself with the direction I took it. Along with Adam's 'beast' inner narrative and Maria's 'death' perspective during her flashback, I think it was among my best writing this Volume, which is hard, considering so much of the work has already and masterfully been written by Miles and Kerry.**

**Thanks to everyone for reading; again, so sorry for the wait; and I will see you back here in November for the beginning of RWBY: Volume 7! See you then!**

**-Jek**


	89. The Greatest Kingdom

**Chapter One: The Greatest Kingdom**

**Atlesian Airspace, Kingdom of Atlas**

Like glittering fragments of light itself, the broken moon shone down on the world of Remnant, wreathed in stars and haloed by a beautiful light green aurora borealis. Though the night was cloudy, the satellite could be seen in all its majestic beauty as a backdrop for a gemstone in the sky.

The Kingdom of Atlas's capital was a massive island that hovered in the air over Remnant, a gleaming jewel covered in glass towers and skyscrapers that looked for all the world like paradise. But for the fortified fleet of military airships surrounding it in a sternly protective embrace, one might mistake it for a surreal mirage, another part of borealis in the arctic sky. Dominating the fleet were the large cruisers, outfitted with heavy weaponry and all poised outward, searching for any sign of attack. Under the larger airships hawklike watch, Bullheads and transports buzzed like hornets as they went to and fro for their routine missions, assignments, and checkups. Radios chattered from ship to ship relaying orders, to be followed to the absolute precision that was a staple of the Kingdom of Atlas.

Amid the flurry of military activity, Manta 5-1 didn't look an iota out of place, merely appearing as another transport taking its soldiers to their mission. In a manner of speaking, that was correct, though the soldiers on board were hardly Atlesian, and their mission a far cry from standard military procedure.

"_Manta 5-1, welcome home_," crackled a woman's voice over the ship's comms channel. "_Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega 12. A security team will meet you there, over._" A staticky _krrch _indicated that the operator had finished with her instructions and would wait for the crew to comply.

From her place behind her uncle, Ruby Rose squinted out at the fleet in confused uncertainty. "I don't understand. What's happening here?"

"I don't know," Qrow murmured, seeming as set on edge as everyone else by the display of military might.

Behind them, Jaune stepped forward. "But, we _are _here. We got the lamp to Atlas, so I guess we land and get some answers." The words were unsure, hesitant.

"I'm not so sure," Weiss replied. The others all looked at her, but her worried gaze was still fixed on the fleet. "I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere _near _Ironwood." She paused, a hint of uncertainty slipping onto her face. "They might even take me back to my father."

Everyone winced sympathetically. Although none of them had yet met the man, Weiss had gone into great detail with them about Jacques Schnee, ruthless head of the Schnee Dust Company and her father, who had done everything in his power to keep her under his thumb and dancing to his tune before and after Beacon until she had run away to Mistral.

Regardless, no one had yet come up with a plan. "So…" Blake ventured toward Weiss.

The heiress's face brightened slightly. "Winter," she said, pulling out her Scroll. The signal increased the closer the ship got to Atlas, and she began scrolling through her contacts to find her sister's number. To Maria, she said, "Put some distance between us and the fleet."

"You don't have to tell me twice," the wizened old woman replied ruefully. Instead of proceeding to the docking bay as instructed, Maria began steering them downward toward Mantle, located beneath the floating city of Atlas.

As the ship dipped close to the city, the friends began peering out the windows and taking in the sights, though they weren't exactly pleasant. If Atlas was a sparkling diamond in the sky, Mantle was the lump of coal it had been birthed from. The settlement was about as large as Atlas, built into the crater the floating landmass had once occupied. Staring out through the glass, Ruby couldn't help but compare Mantle to the other Kingdoms she'd seen in her lifetime. Vale was a large, if quiet, city with a healthy mixture of residential buildings and businesses that gave the capital a quaint atmosphere that was homely without being stifling; Mistral was an oriental masterpiece, a work of art in the form of architecture, with cascading waterfalls and the signature bridge of Haven Academy over the two mountains, like a jade sculpture with its serenity and beauty.

In Mantle, there was neither quaintness nor regality. The buildings seemed packed in an almost cramped way, as if every piece of real estate was fighting with the others around it. A hazy layer of smog hung like a blanket above the rooftops, tinted orange by a city that never slept but desperately wanted to. With the backdrop of the condensed urban environment, even the menial sounds of pedestrian life—honking horns and other general city din—seemed forlorn. Everywhere she looked seemed like an abstract amalgam of depressed humanity.

Ruby was shaken from the desolate city by a voice that she hadn't heard in a long time. She and Yang both looked to their right to see a giant video screen. Projected onto the screen was a recording of General James Ironwood, sporting a full, black beard and his military dress. Squinting, Ruby could make out faint worry lines on the general's forehead.

"...cannot express our appreciation enough," Ironwood was saying. "Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. _That_ is my promise."

"General Ironwood," Yang murmured. "He looks…"

"Tired," Ruby finished.

Qrow shook his head. "James, what've you been doing?"

Below, evidence of the general's protective measures glared out from the streets. People shied away from squads of Atlesian Knight-200s, uncomfortable with the droids' presence. As Weiss watched, a pair of children picked up a small rock and threw it at a hovering camera drone patrolling the streets, only to duck fearfully into an alleyway when the drone turned at the provocation. "This isn't right," she muttered. "None of this is right."

The radio crackled on again, a new edge in the operator's voice. "Manta 5-1, we've noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately, do you copy, over?"

"We're kind of running out of time here, kids," Maria pointed out from the pilot's seat.

"We need to ditch the ship," Yang suggested.

Her uncle concurred. "Agreed. Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time."

Weiss remained steadfast with her plan. "I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood."

"Uh… Weiss?" Yang replied, staring out the window at another large video screen. Weiss moved to stand beside her friend, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight.

"A reminder," said a recorded Winter Schnee, looking pristine with smart military attire creased to perfection. "Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. If your sector is under lockdown…"

"Winter?" Weiss murmured to herself, shocked that her sister was going along with the government lockdown and surveillance. Then again, Winter had always been fiercely loyal to Ironwood; it was part of the reason Jacques had had no luck bringing her back to the SDC after she graduated from Atlas Academy.

"No offense, Weiss," Qrow said as they passed by the sign and Winter's words began to fade, "I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore."

Weiss turned to him, eyes narrowed. "There's obviously something _very _wrong. If we can just talk to her, then we—"

"Look," the older Huntsman cut her off, "I'm not even sure we should be talking to _Ironwood_ until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle."

"But—"

"Everyone, calm down," Maria jumped in, diffusing the argument. She sighed. "I know someone who can help with both."

_Krrch. _"_Manta 5-1_," came the operator, sounding angrier and angrier with every word, "_you are to make your—"_

Maria flipped a switch, and the irate woman's warning was cut off with a click. If she had proper eyes, the Grimm Reaper would have rolled them. "Jeez, lady, take a hint." With that, she began steering the ship downward into Mantle.

* * *

Once the Bullhead had been landed in a deserted alleyway, the team of young warriors disembarked and cautiously emerged into the streets, Maria leading the pack as a scout to make sure the coast was clear before the others followed behind her. At the distant sound of running feet and a soldier calling, "It landed over there, let's go!" the group discreetly picked up their pace to put as much distance between themselves and the ship as possible.

The city didn't seem much better up close than it had in the air. The general uneasiness of the public was palpable in the way that people cautiously looked over their shoulders at passing patrols of Atlesian Knights. Every block or so, bulletin boards glowed blue with announcements and news. Ruby took the time to read some of the headlines as they passed one: _Embargo: The Right Call?; Election Imminent: Mantle Hometown Hero vs. Atlas Tycoon; Missing Journalist Found Slain… _The news seemed to suit the town, not that it gave Ruby any comfort.

"Come on, now, hurry!" Maria urged from the front with a waved hand. "It shouldn't be much of a walk."

The group walked passed a grafitied wall that read _Show Your Teeth! _as Jaune remarked, "Is this many soldiers… normal?"

"No," Weiss replied. "At least, I didn't think so."

At the rear of the group, Yang paused as one of the camera drones patrolling the streets hovered next to her, observing her. With a slight shudder, the blonde shrugged it off and kept walking. However, the drone was persistent and followed alongside her until she looked at it again, only to be met by a bright flash and a small clicking sound as the drone took her picture. Annoyed, Yang reared back and gave the machine a hefty kick, launching it into the street. To its credit, the drone had stayed in one piece, but before it could hover back over to her, a truck slammed into it and smashed it to bits.

"Ooh," Yang winced. She turned and noticed the others staring at her and blushed, realizing that her actions hadn't been very low profile. With a sheepish hand held to her head, she suggested, "Maybe we should pick up the pace."

As they continued walking, Maria began talking about their surroundings and the past. "You have to remember," the old woman began, "the Kingdom had just lost the Great War. The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is about as bright as it gets." Another video screen displaying Winter hung from a building up ahead across the street. As the group watched, a truck rattled by with its bed full of dirtied Faunus, wearing the overalls and yellow hard hats of mine workers. Faunus employees of the Schnee Dust Company, heading home after a day of backbreaking labor.

Nora crossed her arms and stared after the truck, musing, "Unless you're the one having to look up at it."

Blake agreed. "This whole city, it just seems awful."

"Yeah?" came a slurred voice from behind them. The group turned to see a man with sloppy hair and glasses stagger off of the porch steps he'd been seated on. In his hand, he clutched a flask, and his voice broadcasted his inebriated state with every word as he berated them, "You don't like it here? There'sss plen'y've ssspace out'n th'tundra."

Blake sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

The drunk interrupted her. "Atlas is the greatest Kingdom inna world, alright?"

"Hey!" Ruby began, meaning to defend her friend, before Blake stepped forward and gently grabbed her shoulder.

"We can't cause a scene," the older girl implored her leader.

Another man, the drunk's apparent drinking buddy by the sound of his own slur, was still sitting on the steps in a gray jacket and purple beanie. Neither of them smelled especially clean. "The embargo… the embargo's got us in a rough patch, but it'll blow over, you'll see."

He at least sounded more polite than his comrade, who still glared at Blake and raised a fist. "We try'n help the other Kingdoms, and _this _is what happens? I say let'em rot!"

Perturbed but still trying to be polite, Blake's ears curled toward the distasteful man as she again said, "I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you"

The drunk was not pacified, taking a moment to spit disdainfully to the side before he went on, "Ssstupid Faunus like you wouldn't under—" He looked down to unscrew his flask for another swig, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of a black glyph spinning beneath his feet. The next thing he knew, the unfortunate man found himself launched up into the air with a frightened yelp before he crashed into a nearby dumpster, startling away a homeless man who'd been sleeping against the bin.

Yang, Nora, Ruby, and Blake all stared at the man in shock, before they all turned to Weiss, who's eyes were narrowed and hand still clutched Myrtenaster should the drunken nuisance continue his rant. Glancing at Blake with a small shrug and a smile, she simply said, "It was worth it."

However, the group quickly rushed around the corner as a squad of AK-200s arrived to investigate the disturbance, leaving Purple Beanie gaping at his friend in their wake. In the man's drunken mind, something seemed to click, and he began to go after them with a cry of, "Hey wait! You're—that was—" before he tripped and fell with a cry to the pavement.

After the girls had caught up with the others, Maria had finally seemed to reach their destination. A couple of posters dotted the walls, displaying the face of a blond-haired woman with a serious expression. The caption read _Protect Mantle._ Squinting, Ruby recognized her as the same woman who had been running against an Atlesian businessman from the news board.

However, before she could dwell on the poster further, a door ahead of them opened. A Faunus girl walked out, a pair of lion ears and a full smile on her face as she waved at whoever was inside the door with a prosthetic arm much like Yang's. From within, a man's warm voice called out, "And no more heavy lifting, you hear?" The girl nodded and walked away, marvelling over her new arm, as the large troop of travellers walked into the building after Maria.

"Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend!" Maria greeted the stranger warmly as the others followed her inside. As soon as they walked in, they saw a man bent over behind a desk, head wreathed in gray hair and covered by a simple, dark green cap. He seemed to pause as Maria cleared her throat, and rose from beneath the desk to look at her.

"Ah, yes, yes," the man chuckled with a smile, fixing small glasses that had gone askew from his foraging beneath the desk. The gray hair continued down his face into a full beard and mustache, set against skin the color of milk chocolate mixed with caramel. Like the hat, his clothing was simple, consisting of a cream shirt beneath a red vest and a small, pink bow tied delicately at his neck. Smiling at Maria, the man said, "Have we met?"

"Well this is off to a fantastic start," Ren remarked.

Maria pointed to her goggles. "Cybernetic optical implants? You adjust them? Every ten years or so?"

The man squinted at her for a moment, before his face lit up in recognition. "Maria! Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants!" he greeted, moving around the desk in his chair. The chair seemed specialized to accommodate him, with four robotic legs moving to walk at his behest. He took her hand in a brief greeting. "I adjust them every ten years or so."

He laughed and led her over to what looked like an operating table. "Oh, wow, has it been that long already?"

Maria grinned with him. "Ah, I know. I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers," she said, nodding towards the others. She stepped up to the operating table from a stool with the man's assistance and went on, "At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."

"Oh, did they?" the man asked curiously.

"No, no," Maria reassured him with a smile as she hopped onto the table. "They had much more complicated issues."

Qrow cleared his throat, getting both of the old friends' attention. "And this is?" he asked, gesturing to the man.

Maria made short sound too brief to be a true sigh. "So impatient. I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas's finest minds."

"Working in a place like this?" Yang said dubiously. She and the others looked to the side as a creak in the ceiling sent one of the panels down to the ground with a thud. Despite the slight decrepity, the building itself wasn't quite in disrepair, but simply was more quaint than one would expect of an Atlesian scientist. Where they might have thought there would be a laboratory with glowing charts and high tech equipment, there was instead a humble study and workdesk. Full bookshelves lined the walls, and behind the man's desk, a sculpture of a whale appeared prominently between the volumes. The only hint to his profession was the area where Maria sat, which housed x-rays of human skeletons and a diagram of an artificial arm on the wall.

Maria waved off Yang's concern. "He likes to keep a low profile. Something I've come to realize none of _you _know anything about."

"You can call me Pietro," he finally introduced, a hand held humbly to his chest.

Maria smiled fondly. "Finest heart, too. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood up in the clouds."

Pietro waved a hand, a smirk hiding beneath his beard. "Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here I get to help the locals _and _have a little fun." He did a little jig in his seat. "I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try 'em on?"

"_**YES!**_" Nora gasped eagerly.

"Before we get to that," Yang cut in, "we were wondering if you could help us?" Nora crossed her arms disappointedly at her fun being spoiled. "We came to Atlas hoping to talk to General Ironwood, but, umm…"

"What exactly has been happening here?" Blake asked.

Pietro hunched over for a minute with a cough, then cleared his throat. When he looked back up, his face was a bit more somber than before. "Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on _all _of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him. He's…"

"He's scared," Qrow murmured understandingly. Who wouldn't have been, in James's position? To be one of a handful of people on the planet who knew what was happening and why, but to be powerless to stop it at the same time. No wonder the General had pulled back his forces so aggressively.

"_Paranoid_, would be the more appropriate term," Pietro replied, holding out his hand. "You have to understand, it wasn't _just _the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their play-thing, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else." He lifted his cap to run a hand over his bald head. "Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the general."

The group appeared disheartened at the news. "Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought," Ren mused.

"After we came all this way, we can't just leave, can we?" Oscar asked uncertainly.

"How does the council feel about all of this?" Weiss ventured, stepping forward. "Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about _her?_"

Pietro folded his hands over his stomach. "Well, the council's so scared, they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle…" He trailed off as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. With a start, he squinted harder at her, and his face lit up in recognition. "Wait! You're… You're Weiss Schnee!"

Weiss faltered, taken off guard by suddenly being recognized. Yang tried to take the initiative, keeping his attention away from Weiss. She stepped forward and gestured with her metal arm. "Wait, what was it that you were trying to say about Mantle?"

Pietro's gaze flickered to her, but if anything, the look of recognition strengthened. His eyes fixated on her metal arm, looking at each digit of her fingers. "You _painted _it!" he exclaimed in a voice slightly above a whisper.

"What?" Yang said, understandably confused.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked. She and Blake both stepped forward next to their other two teammates.

Pietro took in a sweeping glance of all four of them, and the light dawned completely on his features. "You're Team RWBY!"

Ruby and the girls looked amongst themselves in shock. The reaper practically jumped in the air as she looked back to the old man. "You _know _us?!" she exclaimed.

Now, a fond smile found its way onto Pietro's lips. "Oh, my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I… feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about you."

"Your… _daughter?_" Ruby repeated. However, before she could ask anything else, an alarm started blaring outside, loud enough for the group to know that whatever was happening was serious. They turned to the door to see civilians running away with frightened cries, the streetlights having turned a warning red.

"Ah, trouble!" Jaune said, turning to the door and dashing out. The others followed close behind him.

"Wait!" Pietro cried, holding out an arm, but they were already out the door.

In the street, the straggling denizens of Mantle were making their final escapes into doorways and alcoves as Ruby and her friends came to the center of the street. They couldn't see the threat yet, but based on the empty road ahead of them, it seemed to be coming straight for them. Everyone whipped out their weapons. Blake drew Gambol Shroud's katana, but upon seeing the blade still shattered from her fight with Adam earlier that day, she configured it into pistol form and took a combat stance with the others.

"I guess the city defenses aren't doing too much," Oscar observed.

Nora deadpanned. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

Ahead of them, a ferocious growling suddenly reached their ears. As the watched, a pair of AK-200s were tossed bodily down the street, sparking and lifeless. Another trio of the unfortunate droids were backing slowly away, firing their rifles. However, a Grimm leaped from the sidestreet and demolished one with a single, crushing lunge before turning to the other two.

Ruby turned to the others. "Well we didn't come this far to fail now!" Thumbing a switch, she transfigured Crescent Rose into its scythe configuration and planted the blade in the ground, awaiting the Grimm's attack. Down the street, the remaining Atlesian Knights had been quickly dismantled. Ruby recognized the Grimm from lessons in Professor Port's class, what seemed like a lifetime ago. Known as Sabyrs, the beasts were native only to Solitas and had the bodies of big cats and long, sabertoothed jaws that could crush a person between them. Hints of ice from the tundra coated their body white armor, and their soulless red eyes stared forward with hungry rage as they swarmed toward the students.

Yang and Ren both launched themselves in first, Nora following close behind by firing herself off of Jaune's shield and into the fray. Yang tackled one of the monsters and began blasting away, while Nora and Ren tag teamed a second. The third of the leading pack bypassed Jaune as it ran for the others, but another lunged at the boy. Jaune quickly sidestepped and neatly cleaved the creature in half with Crocea Mors, then lifted his shield in defense as another scrabbled against the metal and snapped at his head. Jaune put it down with a simple stab to its chest and watched it fall and dissolve into ash.

Qrow was also putting in work, easily ducking a lunge from one Grimm and running his sword up and through its stomach before slashing another through the skull. A third overran him and swivelled to attack, but the Huntsman quickly transferred his sword into its scythe form and stabbed through its torso before tossing it to the side. He planted the blade in the ground and punched another beast directly in the snout, then ran it through and finished the last of his opponents with a sideward slash.

One of the beasts took heed of Qrow's impressive display and looked for an easier target. Its eyes locked onto Oscar Pine and it snarled as it charged the young farmboy. Once, the Grimm might have terrified him, but the past several months of training and revelations had hardened the once timid lad. With a cry of his own, he leaped forward and thrust down hard with his cane on where the creature's spine was, using the momentum to flip himself over the beast. He landed as it skittered past him, turning to watch its legs give out and its body disintegrate before his eyes with a self-satisfied smile.

The grin was short lived as he heard another roar behind him, whirling around to see a mass of black fur looming over him. Instinctively, Oscar raised his hands in feeble defense, too late to stop the leaping Grimm, but before it could crush him, a shot tore through the Sabyr's head and put it down. Oscar turned to see Ruby give him a nod and a grin before cocking her weapon and transforming it back into scythe mode.

Dashing forward, Ruby sliced through the midsection of another Sabyr as she passed Oscar, then used her Semblance to split into three separate clusters of rose petals and go around a second beast. She dug Crescent Rose's blade into the ground and spun on the weapon with her momentum, then fired upward to send it spinning through another creature's body before leaping off another Grimm's back. With a battle cry, she caught her weapon and spun down to the ground, letting out a wave of projected Aura that tossed another group of Grimm aside.

The others were busy as well. Weiss had just finished off one of the catlike monsters when another four started bounding down the street toward her. With a smirk and some help from Myrtenaster's Dust, she summoned up a series of black gravity glyphs beneath the Sabyrs and lifted them into the air with a gesture. Taking quick advantage of her move, Ren sprinted past her and leaped from beast to beast, delivering a deadly series of slices with Storm Flower's twin blades. By the time he'd landed on the ground, the Grimm had dissolved to ash.

Yang had buried her fist in a Grimm's skull before a shot rang out another Sabyr slid by her, already disintegrating. She turned to see Blake give her a smile and a nod, Gambol Shroud in hand. Yang returned the smile, but her grin dropped as she saw another Sabyr lunge for her friend from behind. Blake whirled quickly and brought her pistol up to bear, but before she could shoot or the beast could make contact, a plume of green light whizzed out from the sky and sliced cleanly through the Sabyr's torso.

As the beast smoked out of existence, Blake looked to the sky in astonishment at her sudden save. The others paused at the sound of the laser as well, even as more of the green beams of energy began falling from the sky to cut down the remaining Grimm. In a matter of seconds, the last of the creatures was dead, and the warning lights ceased flashing red and reverted to their normal colors as the klaxons faded away. As one, the baffled fighters watched as a figure flew through the air, propelled from green jets that seemed to come from its feet.

The figure gave a stylish pirouette, silhouetted against the moon, and then slowly floated to the ground. By this time, Maria and Pietro had followed the others outside, and they had joined the rear of the group as the person, now revealed to be a girl, finally touched down, the jets in her boots extinguishing as she landed.

The girl appeared no older than any of the students, with long, flowing ginger hair that came down to her shoulder blades. A pair of glowing green stripes traced up her black stockings, and a flowery skirt waved slightly from the last bit of wind kicked up by her landing. Her top was a billowy, long-sleeved silver dress covered by a pair of green and black suspenders, and an angular bow rested atop her head. In the middle of the bow, and at a small black ribbon on her neck, a green power button icon glowed. The girl smiled in satisfaction at a job well done, green eyes sparkling above freckled cheeks.

Ruby gasped in shocked surprise. The ginger hair, longer than it had been at Beacon; the green suspenders and pink bow; and that kind, freckled smile… "_Penny!_" she breathed.

Behind her, Pietro smiled gently at the android girl. "Darling, why don't you say hello to your friends?"

At her father's voice, Penny turned to the group. Upon seeing Ruby, she too gasped joyfully, her eyes shining like a child's on her birthday. Ruby took her friend's exuberant expression and felt her own lips begin to smile as she folded Crescent Rose away behind her back. In that moment, everything that had happened for the past week seemed to fade away: Salem, Jinn, Blake and Yang, Cordovin, Ironwood, all of it took a back seat to the girl standing down the street that Ruby had never thought she would see again.

Penny herself merely grinned. "Sal…"

Ruby's smile dropped in confusion. "Huh?"

Penny dropped to one knee. A low whine filled the air. "U…"

Ruby flinched, already knowing what was coming but too late to stop it.

"..._tations!"_ Penny cried as she took off running toward her best friend in the whole wide world. With a jump, she kicked in her boot thrusters and zoomed past Qrow and the other kids. Ruby cried out fearfully, waving her arms in an attempt to deter the rapidly approaching girl, to little effect. If anything, Penny seemed to speed up as she tackled Ruby into the ground in a heartfelt, if rough, embrace.

Ruby groaned, reminded by the weight pressing down on her of Penny's metallic structure beneath her synthetic skin before the bright-eyed ginger hopped to her feet. "It is such a _pleasure _to see you all again!" she exclaimed happily, bouncing up on her heels. The others drew near to them and put their own weapons away as Ruby clambered to her feet as well, albeit slowly.

The reaper managed to straighten and looked to her friend earnestly. A thousand thoughts were whizzing through the young leader's mind. "Penny… I…" Tears came to Ruby's eyes as she recalled Amity Arena over a year ago, the sight of Penny's tattered body in shreds thanks to the manipulations of Emerald and Mercury, her eyes blank and lifeless. "I-I thought you—"

"Died?" Pietro finished, moving his walking chair to rest next to his daughter. That tender smile still adorned his face. "I guess in a manner of speaking, she _did. _But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas. It took some time, but—"

"I'm as good as new!" Penny finished chipperly. "Better, even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!" She gave a cute little salute, one curl of hair on top of her head bobbing from the motion.

"That my girl," Pietro said. "We're not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?" He chuckled, trailing off in a short cough.

"No sir!" Penny replied. She knocked her knuckles against her head for effect with a clanking sound.

The other members of Team RWBY watched the reunion from the side. "This is…" Weiss began.

"Strangely wholesome," Blake finished.

"Sounds like Penny to me," Yang agreed. All three of the girls were smiling at the heartwarming scene.

Eagerly, Penny grabbed Ruby by the shoulders. "We have so many things to catch up about! I cannot _wait!_" In the distance, another alarm blared, apparently from another Grimm attack judging by the faint cries that followed. Her smile never wavered. "It seems we will have to wait." Without missing a beat, Penny backed away and began charging up her jets as she hurriedly said, "Let's talk more later I can't wait to hear more about your adventures I'm very _excited_ _for_ _the_ _whole_ _experience!_" With that, she took off, her last words fading away as she did.

The kids and adults were left staring after her departure. Nora shook her head, hands spread. "I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on, or have like, a _million _questions!"

Pietro turned in his walking chair, heading back for his shop. "And thankfully, I have about a thousand answers. But let's get out of this weather first."

He passed by Maria, who had watched the whole encounter with ambivalence. Turning to follow the scientist, she muttered, "I have absolutely _no_ idea who that child was. Is she important somehow?"

Jaune shrugged, still staring after Penny. "That was unexpected."

"Never a dull moment," Ren concurred.

"But I wouldn't say unwelcome," Qrow added. He looked to the two boys. "I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher." The group turned and began following after Maria and Pietro so the old man could begin giving them the answers he'd mentioned.

Ren sensed it a moment before it happened. Suddenly, Dust bolos seemed to fling out from nowhere, snaring Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Jaune. The surprised group fell to the ground, grunting without their hands to break their fall. Team RWBY soon followed, the ropes holding fast against their bodies as the gravity Dust in the ends connected, locking them in. The Relic of Knowledge fell from its place clipped to Ruby's belt as she fell, clattering to the ground a few feet away.

The last man standing, Qrow whipped out his sword and searched for the attacker, but moments later, he too was felled by a bolo, the sword falling from his grasp. From alleyways and rooftops, five men and women emerged, dressed in Atlesian military uniform. At the head of the group was a man with brown hair and handsome features who twirled a horseshoe on his finger. "Good work, team," he addressed to the other four.

"Hey!" Oscar cried, squirming in his bonds. "What's going on?"

Qrow growled at the leader's feet. "Hey, pal! I'm a licensed Hunstman! Just helped save everyone?"

The man merely looked down at him with a smirk, then reached down to confiscate Qrow's fallen weapon. His compatriots disarmed the other captured students and loaded their weapons into the arms of a troop of AK-200s that had arrived on the scene. The leader of the soldiers walked over to Ruby, bent down, and grabbed the Relic of Knowledge as well, not catching the panic in Ruby's eyes. He turned to the droids and ordered, "Let's get them loaded into the next transport."

"Please!" Ruby pleaded, also struggling against the ropes. "We were just trying to help!"

Pietro and Maria had heard the commotion and doubled back, looking on in dismay. "What is the meaning of this?!" Pietro demanded before another coughing fit took him. Once it passed, he continued to the handsome man, "What are the Ace Ops even doing down here in Mantle?"

"Ace… Ops?" Ruby repeated into the street.

The leader seemed to recognize Pietro. "Doctor, good to see you." In answer to the question, he continued, "Well, we heard a report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by non-licensed Hunstmen."

Maria sighed and turned, already able to tell by his demeanor there would be no bargaining with the soldier. Pietro tried anyway. "If we could just talk this out—"

"They'll be able to talk this out once they get to Atlas," the man reassured him, tossing the Relic from one hand to another. To his team, he called, "Alright, let's move out!" before using his weapon, something reminiscent of a fishing pole, to swing away into the rooftops of Mantle, followed shortly by the other four.

Ten minutes later, a squad transport arrived, and the Atlesian Knights cuffed the students and loaded them into the back along with another man. Qrow grunted as he was shoved inside to sit beside Jaune. He looked around at the kids, whose demeanors had shifted so quickly from upbeat and cheery at their reunion with Penny to nervous and depressed at their arrest. "Now this…" he sighed. "This is much closer to what I was expecting." With that, the doors swung shut and locked, and the transport hummed into the air and began the flight to deliver its prisoners to the sparkling city of Atlas overhead.

**Author's Note: So, it's been a little bit since this story got updated, huh? But at long last, here we are, RWBY Volume 7! I'm enjoying this Volume so much so far. It feels almost like V3 all over again, but this time, our heroes know the stakes! The question is, will knowing make a difference this time around in the outcome? I don't know when the next chapter will come, but hopefully I'll have it written in the next two weeks. Until then, enjoy, comment, review, and share with your friends. Love you guys! - Jek**


	90. A New Approach

**Chapter Two: A New Approach**

The view of Mantle from the prison bus was no better than it had been from Manta 5-1. Lights glittered below from cramped houses, but none of the sounds of pedestrian life could penetrate the bus's windows.

Ruby turned away from the view, head bowed into her lap. They had come so far, done so much, only to now find their destinies out of their hands. After all that had happened in the past week, the way the rug had been pulled out from under them by the commandos seemed almost comical. She sighed. The only thing to do now was wait and hope for the best.

She looked up and across the aisle to see how the others were doing. Ren sat with his eyes meditatively closed, but even his passive face displayed subtle worry. Nora was busying herself trying to gnaw through the thick cables that bound her cuffs together, to little avail. Ruby might have smiled at her determination under other circumstances. Jaune and Qrow both glared at the floor, no doubt angry that they had so easily been had.

Her own team didn't seem any more cheerful. Blake was staring at the back of Yang's head worriedly, while Yang was hunched forward with her hands on her knees anxiously. Weiss sat at the end of the row and directed her bleak eyes to the floor like Qrow and Jaune, and sitting between the heiress and her sister was Oscar, who seemed fixated on his cuffed hands.

Hesitantly, Ruby ventured a question to break the silence. "Where do you think they're taking us?"

"I'm gonna go with jail," Qrow replied bluntly.

Beside him, Jaune scowled. "I still can't believe that… _fishing pole _guy took us out like it was nothing."

"Welcome to Atlas," Weiss replied, seeming unsurprised. "Those were Ironwood's Ace Operatives."

The group wasn't alone in the back of the prison bus. Another man dressed in brown with a loose ponytail, brown goatee, and a green scarf was seated beside Ren toward the front of the prisoner bay. Upon hearing Weiss's words, his eyes widened and he turned to them. "You guys had a run-in with the Ace Ops? Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."

The captives turned to regard him. Weiss was dismissive. "They're not _that _big of a deal."

The man turned to her sharply. "Not that big of a _deal?_" he repeated. "The Ace Ops are _the _elite of elite military Huntsmen," he spat the next part, "and Ironwood's personal attack dogs."

Nora leaned forward, her attempts to chew through her cuffs momentarily forgotten. "So they got you too, huh?"

The man scoffed. "I wouldn't allow myself be caught by them. I'm here because I've been speaking out against Atlas's exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me!"

The pilots had turned at the sound of the man's rant. One of them retorted, "You threw a brick at our ship!"

"It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!" the man replied with a proud grin. The pilot shrugged dismissively and turned back to his controls.

"'Our cause?'" Blake repeated.

"_Yes! _The fight for better conditions in Mantle, led by the charismatic, talented, lovely, Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses." As it became clear their prisoner wouldn't shut up, one of the pilots pressed a button and a glass pane began rolling up between the cockpit and the hold. If anything, it emboldened the man, who stood up from his seat and began shouting before the glass closed, "They were all top Atlas Academy graduates, who could've signed up for the military, but Robyn and the Huntresses _chose _to stay in Mantle! She's gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's council, and when she gets it, she's gonna put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"

Oscar stared at the man, who'd begun hopping during his last few sentences, and repeated dubiously, "Happy… Huntresses."

"Is that their real name?" Yang asked dryly.

"Don't you think 'tyranny' is a little dramatic?" Weiss asked.

The man turned back to her, but before he replied, his eyes went wide with surprise and recognition. However, his expression quickly shifted to one of derisive contempt as he snapped back, "Easy to say for a Schnee heiress, living comfortably up in Atlas."

The words stung, and Weiss drew back slowly with a sigh and stared out the rear windows as Mantle sank further away. "Not anymore," she mused sadly.  
The ship broke through the upper cloud layer and emerged in front of the city of Atlas. Despite their circumstances, Ruby felt herself gawking in awe at the sight. Her earlier estimation of the city as an array of jewels hadn't been incorrect; every inch of every building glittered in the moonlight, looking more like an expensive model than an actual city. The clouds wreathing the floating island on which the city sat gave it a mystical, fantastic appearance, and the mountains in the background capped with snow and aurora borealis overhead completed the effect. This truly was the Jewel of Remnant.

"Woah," Ruby breathed, "it's _gorgeous _up here!" Jaune stood and walked over to her window to get a better look, and Nora, who had once more been chewing at her restraints, also paused as she and Ren too took in the sight of the futuristic metropolis.

Weiss was unimpressed, not even bothering to look out the window. "Don't let that fool you." Despite his earlier comments, the man beside Ren turned at her statement, surprised at her callous disregard for Atlas. However, before he could mention it, he stood and peered through the cockpit's viewport toward their destination as the prison bus began taxiing down. Confused, he said, "This isn't the police station."

Qrow looked out as well, surprised dawning on his face as well. While he may have been years out from his graduation from Beacon, Professor Oobleck's stressing of the importance of history made it hard to forget anything from his class, and even if he could, the older Huntsman knew he'd never forget the sight of the tall, blue spire before him from his numerous travels to the Kingdom. "It's Atlas Academy."

Once again, Ruby found herself comparing the past to the present. Beacon had seemed almost medieval with its appearance almost that of a castle and its broadcasting tower being built directly into the clocktower housing Ozpin's office. Despite, or perhaps because of, its solemn majesty, the architecture of the school and courtyard both seemed to convey the quiet nature of Vale. Similarly, Haven in Mistral was a work of art, built as a bridge between two mountains in the heart of the capital city and speaking to the culture that surrounded it.

In this instance, Atlas was no different. The school was a towering citadel of a structure that flattened out towards its base. A series of four supporting towers were gathered around its base, and a landing platform extended from the main entrance and awaited the descending airship. With its angular, precise features and crystalline, stalagmite appearance, Atlas Academy conveyed that it was a place of serious business and military operation, home to the top echelons of the Huntsman elite.

The prison bus circled and landed, and two human Atlesian soldiers unlocked the doors and swung them open, allowing Ruby and her friends to emerge from the bus. From the ground, the spire that was Atlas Academy appeared even more impressive and looming. A group of four soldiers awaited them at the top and bottom of a staircase leading to the main entrance, and the two that had opened the doors beckoned them forward with a tilt of the head.

Ruby's brow quirked. Fate worked in strange ways. "I guess we will be seeing the General," she remarked. "For better or worse." With that, the group followed her forward as the soldiers began to escort them towards the front doors.

* * *

Once inside the academy, the prisoners had been ushered into an elevator by their escort, and a button pushed had them travelling upward, presumably toward Ironwood's office.

"So, what do we do?" Ren whispered to Ruby as the elevator climbed.

"I don't know yet," Ruby replied. "But we should be careful with what we say." One of the guards gave her a curious look at her comment, but remained silent.

"We'll follow your lead, Ruby," Blake said, and her leader smiled briefly before a ding signalled that they'd arrived to their floor. The elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open with a quiet _whoosh_. The soldiers strode out, leading Ruby and her friends down a hallway to a flight of stairs. They walked carefully down the steps into a large, dodecagonal room with a skylight allowing the moon's gentle glow in overhead. Before them, another flight of stairs led up to a large set of doors, but before the soldiers could lead them to the stairs, another group entered the room from the side.

For the first time in over a year, Ruby laid eyes on General James Ironwood in the flesh. The last time she'd seen him, he had boarded a ship during the Fall of Beacon in an effort to retake his flagship from Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan. However, due to a computer virus Cinder's group had unleashed, the Atlesian Knights in his ship had turned on him, and she had watched in horror as his ship hurtled to the ground, trailing smoke from its cockpit. Though she'd learned in the next months that he had survived the ordeal, it was still reassuring to see him again in person.

Ironwood was flanked by Winter Schnee and Penny Polendina, and he didn't even seem to notice them at first as he spoke to the other two. "I swear, if I have to sit through one more council meeting like that…"

Before he could finish his thought, Penny turned and saw the group, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her friends. "Yay! You're here!" she greeted them.

Ironwood turned at her words, his brow lifting in surprise at the sight of Teams RWBY and JNPR, as well as Qrow.

Ruby remained silent, waiting to be spoken to, before Weiss gently nudged around her and addressed her sibling. "Winter."

Winter Schnee's eyes widened. Like everyone else, this was the first she'd seen of Weiss since before the Fall of Beacon, and though she hadn't been present at Schnee Manor for a long time, news had travelled fast when Weiss had sneaked out of Atlas before the General had closed the Kingdom's borders, and she had obviously been worried for her younger sister.

However, before Winter could say anything, Nora leaned towards Weiss with a cheeky grin, wiggling her fingers as she lifted up her bound wrists. "Anyone wanna give us a hand with these?" she asked.

Upon seeing the cuffs on Weiss's wrists as well, Winter straightened, her arms travelling behind her back as she gazed coolly at the soldiers that had escorted them. "You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you," she ordered. Despite her tone of severity, Ironwood smiled at her protectiveness of her sister.

The guards glanced at one another nervously and hurried to their task, apologizing profusely all the while and not stopping until every set of cuffs had hit the floor. A word from Ironwood instructed the soldiers to return to their duties as he made quick greetings and led the students to his office. "Please, come in," he told them all with a sincere smile. "It is so good to see all of you."

The doors shut behind them, Yang not being the only one still rubbing sore wrists. "Our reception didn't really convey that."

Ironwood sighed, truly troubled by the children's ordeal. "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team," he apologized. Qrow discreetly rolled his eyes. "When a rogue airship entered our airspace, it raised some… red flags," the General continued as he rounded his desk to take a seat at his chair. Penny and Winter stood to his right and left respectively. "We assumed the ship was stolen."

"Stolen?" Ruby repeated with a sheepish chuckle. The smile fell from her lips as she held a bashful hand to her head. "Okay, yeah, it was stolen."

Ironwood's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, and for a moment, the girl thought he might be angry until she saw the hint of a smile beneath his thick beard and his shoulders go up and down in a silent chuckle. Winter, however, was far less amused. When her own shock had worn off, she glared indignantly at Weiss. "You _stole _an Atlas airship?!" Weiss looked up at her sister's approach as Winter stepped down the small set of stairs and berated, "What were you _thinking?! _You might've been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsi—"

Weiss cut off the elder Schnee by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around her. Winter faltered at the surprise embrace. For a moment, Weiss just stood there, holding tightly to her sister. Though she didn't let it show on her face, a feeling of reassurance fell over her like a warm blanket in the presence of her older sibling. "I'm sorry I worried you," she murmured sincerely into Winter's ear. "But we did what we had to do."

Winter paused. "I…" she sighed and relented, pulling closer to Weiss, "...I suppose I understand." Her anger returned, however, when she looked up to the children's ward. "But I cannot believe that _you _allowed this to happen, Qrow."

While some of her heat may have been residual from their last encounter during the Vytal Festival, Qrow shrugged it off and thumbed towards Ruby. "You try stoppin' these kids when the have their mind set on something." The Huntsman turned towards Ironwood. "Speaking of which, we have some important information for you that's… confidential."

Penny leaned in, chipper smile ever present on her face. "Oh, is it about the Relics?"

Winter had turned to walk back to her position at Ironwood's left and now pivoted to face Qrow. "Or perhaps the Winter Maiden?"

Qrow blinked, as did Ruby and the others. Surprise colored his voice. "You _told _them?"

Ironwood had that little, beard-hidden smile again. "Hmm," he laughed softly. He stood from his chair and reached down, pulling out one of the desk drawers. His hand reached within, and when it returned, it held the Relic of Knowledge by its golden ring, the magical artifact growing in his hand. "Did you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace Ops too. Which is why I'm so glad you're here," he gestured to the lamp, "with this.

"Until now, I believed it was impossible to… _truly _turn the tide against Salem. Oz had pushed her back, has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning, stronger and stronger… unless we _destroy _her." The General placed the Relic on his desk, where it hovered by its own power.

Ruby was thoughtful for a moment. The General obviously didn't know what they had learned in the past few days, about Ozpin, about Salem. Having seen the state of Mantle and Atlas, the military state the kingdom had become, she didn't know how he would react to the news. Their group had barely been able to absorb it themselves and come up with a new plan beyond getting to Atlas. For the moment, she kept the concern to herself. "But… what about the Atlas Relic?"

"You mean the Staff of Creation?" Ironwood replied.

"It's safe inside the Vault!" Penny informed.

"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow asked.

Winter responded, "She is secure, and in stable condition."

"Stable condition?" Yang asked. "What does that—"

Qrow answered the question. "She's, uh, not exactly a spring chicken."

Silence hung in the air for a moment, interrupted only by Ironwood's sigh. "I know how this all looks. Recalling my military? The embargo? I probably don't seem the most trustworthy right now." Ruby's eyes shifted at the word _trustworthy_.

"Then why continue it?" Blake asked.

"The people of Mantle are hurting!" Nora agreed.

"I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military _here,_ protecting my people."

"But it's _not _protecting them!" Yang countered. "It's making everyone hate you."

Ironwood sighed again. Ruby was reminded of her earlier statement that the General looked tired, desperate for rest and yet unable to do so until his duty was served. "It's a price I'm willing to pay." Ironwood tapped a holographic button on his desk, causing massive shutters to close over the window and shut the group off from the nighttime sky illuminating the office. "Just as you all have been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me. I have a plan."

Beneath Ruby and Oscar's feet, the floor began raising upward. The two stepped off the segment that quickly rose and expanded to become a tabletop holographic projector. Ironwood moved from behind his desk to walk down the stairs toward the table, flanked by Penny and Winter. "Ozpin believed the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not isn't for me to say." He stopped between Jaune and Oscar as the table clanked to a stop. "But we find ourselves in a position of needing, well, a new approach."

"And what do you suggest?" Qrow asked.

In response, Ironwood pulled out a small remote and clicked a button. At his command, the holotable winked to life, projecting a familiar image of a floating pantheon that cast a blue glow across the observers' faces.

Jaune recognized the image immediately. "That's… Amity Colosseum."

"Where the Vytal Festival is held?" Oscar asked.

"Indeed," Ironwood confirmed. "When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it _will _serve that purpose once again." With another click of the button, a new addition appeared on top of Amity Colosseum: a thin broadcast tower, projecting up into the sky.

"Isn't it great?" Penny said, drawing eyes. "We're not going to just _replace _Beacon Tower. Building a _new _tower on _top _of Amity Colosseum will reestablish _global _communications!"

"By launching the tower high into the atmosphere," Winter continued the explanation, "our scientists believe we can create a sort of… satellite. Out of reach of the Grimm and capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower."

Ruby gazed at the hologram. "That _is _great," she murmured.

Qrow's eyes, however, were fixed on Ironwood. "James, you don't need the entire military for this."

Ironwood looked hard at him, sensing the underlying question. "I will for the next part. Where I finally tell the people about Salem."

Silence reigned for a handful of moments as the group absorbed the General's words. Qrow was the first to speak. "So _that's _why you withdrew your troops, to handle the panic that will break out in Atlas."

"Yes." Ironwood's face was set in stone. "Panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to _all _of Remnant."

"But everything will fall apart!" Weiss protested. "Grimm will be everywhere!"

"You're right," Winter reassured, "but Atlas is willing and prepared to assist."

"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all," Ironwood finished severely. At a click of the remote, the table receded back into the floor and the blinds receded to let the broken moon illuminate the room once more.

Ruby felt self-conscious heat run across her face at the General's words, which struck dangerously close to home. What should they tell him about Salem? How much did he already know? What Ozpin had told them all? More? Less? And most importantly, how would he react?

Qrow appeared equally thoughtful. "Oz spent his whole life, _many_ lives, keeping this secret."

"I know," Ironwood acknowledged. "But since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgement." He turned, walking towards his desk again, before the new silence reached an uncomfortable level and he turned back to them, taking in unsure faces. "What is it?"

Practically unnoticed until this instant, Oscar hesitantly stepped forward. "Actually, Oz isn't completely gone."

Qrow gestured toward the boy. "Uh, Oscar here is… is the next Ozpin."

Ironwood's eyes took on a new, hopeful shine "_Oz?_" he murmured. Quickly, he hurried toward the boy, who appeared uncomfortable. "I am so glad you're here! I didn't think you—"

"N-not quite," Oscar cut off, raising his hands to pause the General, who had dropped to one knee before him. "He's kind of, um, gone at the moment?"

Ironwood shook his head, processing the new development. "That's not normal. How did he—"

"We don't know."

Ironwood looked over to Ruby, who had blurted out the words. "We were in a train crash, and ever since, well, suddenly Oz wasn't there anymore." As Ironwood had laid out the plan for Amity Tower, Ruby had become more and more uneasy about the knowledge Jinn had given them. Upon hearing his plan to tell the world about Salem, she had blanched. How would the General react upon hearing that everything he'd been working towards for the past year or more might be for nothing? Besides, she'd been puzzling over Jinn's vision ever since it had ended, and something the sprite from the lamp had said kept nagging at her. As such, for now, she had decided, albeit uncertainly, that the truth was best kept among their group until they could further assess both the General and the information.

Oscar had looked over at her outburst as well, and she couldn't quite tell if the look in his eye was grateful or questioning, but she didn't hold his gaze long enough to find out. Ironwood himself sighed again and stood. "That's the worst news yet. Did you learn anything about the Relics before…?"

"He told us the lamp can answer three questions. But all the questions were used up already."

Unseen by Ruby, Blake and Yang traded a glance but remained silent behind her.

"Right, right," Ironwood said, walking toward the window to stare out over his school. "Ozpin told us that too, once upon a time." He paused, then turned and offered Oscar a warm smile. "At least we have you, Oscar. You're safe here in Atlas. Maybe together, we can figure out how to bring Ozpin back."

"Thank you, sir. I mean, uh, General. Uh, Ironwood?" The boy fidgeted awkwardly.

The General nodded at him, then picked up the Relic of Knowledge from his desk and walked back down to Ruby. Wordlessly, he extended his hand.

Ruby gazed at the Relic questioningly. "You're giving it back to me?"

"After what happened with the Ace Ops, I don't want you to think I'm keeping anything from you, especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here." He handed the lamp to her, which shrunk to accommodate her size in her hands.

Despite standing by her decision, Ruby felt a pang in her conscience at the words. Hoping her voice didn't betray her hesitation, she accepted the Relic and placed it back on her belt. "Um, thank you."

Ironwood gazed around, addressing the group as a whole. "We must work together if we're to fight Salem and win. Now, if you're all onboard…?"

After a slight pause, Ruby met his eyes. "Tell us how we can help."

Ironwood smiled at her. "Good. Because getting the Amity Tower ready to launch won't be easy. But first," he turned to walk back to his desk, calling up a video feed of their fight earlier against the Sabyrs, "I think we need to get those weapons of yours up to _our _standards."

The video displayed Blake wielding her broken Gambol Shroud. She winced and grabbed her arm bashfully, embarrassed by her lack of performance.

"Remember," Winter said, "this is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise."

The group as a whole gasped in surprise and excitement at the potential of upgrades. With a laugh, the General thanked them once again for escorting the lamp safely to him and directed Penny to take them to their quarters. The android girl bounced happily to her task, leading them back down the steps leading to Ironwood's office to the large room with the skylight they'd crossed over earlier when still handcuffed.

Now, however, another group was waiting to meet them, whom Ruby quickly recognized as the Ace Ops, the elite soldiers who had apprehended them down in Mantle. She took a quick survey of them all. The handsome man with the clover lapel was the one she'd taken to be the leader. Currently, he was standing next to a dark skinned Faunus operative with black hair and a gray wolf's tail. The Faunus was telling a story to the other three, a woman with lighter brown skin than him and shaved brown hair with a blonde highlight in the middle; another woman with broad shoulders, brown hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and a wide grin; and a pale, wiry man with a line of circles tattooed down the center of his face.

As they approached, the Faunus man was saying, "So that was the _second _time I got banned. Then there was the _third _time, when—"

"Alright, cut the chatter," the handsome man interrupted, hearing their approach as he and his team turned to greet them. The Ace Ops stepped forward, and the leader offered a hand. "I'd like to sincerely apologize for the miscommunication down in Mantle. We didn't intend to—"

"I feel _so_ bad, honestly!" said the ponytailed woman as she pushed her way forward and took Ruby by the hand with a vigorous handshake that left the girl dizzied and stumbling on her feet. "If we had known who you were, we'd be laughing over a hot meal right now, and—"

Ruby groaned, eyes spinning. "I understand, you were just following orders."

She continued to shake her head as Weiss gave the Ace Ops a deadpan. "I mean, you could have asked us some questions first."

The Faunus man stepped forward. "Questions are for the weak, but we're all on the same team now. Not that I'm happy about it." His involuntarily wagging tail said otherwise, and he reached down to physically stop it, drawing a laugh from the small, skinny woman with the blond highlight.

"We just wanted to say we're sorry," the leader said, "and that we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission. You might be students, but you've been fighting just as hard as we have, if not harder." He sounded impressed, no doubt having been filled in by Ironwood at some point at exactly what the group had been through.

The thin woman smirked. "Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do."

Behind her, the pale, tattooed man sighed. "Not _everything's _a competition, Hare."

From behind them, Penny suddenly appeared, an eager smile lighting up her face. "Come on!" she encouraged. "Let me show you around campus!" The children moved to follow her, Qrow bringing up the rear, before Ironwood's voice from behind stopped him.

"Qrow." The Huntsman turned to see the General walking down the stairs toward him, his expression unreadable and his arms behind his back. Once he reached the bottom, however, the small smile reappeared beneath his bushy beard. "I meant it when I said it was good to see you again."

Qrow was momentarily taken aback. While he and 'Jimmy' had never been outright enemies, Qrow had made his voice prominently heard in objection to Ozpin bringing Ironwood into their secret circle as well as the actions James had taken at Beacon and during the Vytal Festival Tournament, and the few interactions they had shared during that week before everything went to hell had been curt and frosty. Not quite knowing how to respond, he scratched his head and said, "Uh, yeah, you too."

Ironwood surprised him further, stepping forward to embrace him. Qrow froze for a second before he relaxed and gingerly wrapped his arms around Ironwood. He rolled his eyes and gave the other man a pat on the back, a rueful smile playing on his lips. For all of his faults, Ironwood was a good man, and with the situation how it was now, Qrow would do what he could to assist the General and Atlas in their defense from Salem.

The kids had moved on without Qrow, Penny acting as their guide and clearly thrilled by the job as she took them on a tour of the school grounds. Though there was some initial wonder, most of Atlas Academy's interior had the repetitive crispness that any military institution would have, and the group quickly became bored. As Penny gave them the expose on where cafeterias, training rooms, and classrooms were located, the group of students began to droop from exhaustion. They had still had an action packed day, between their fight with Cordovin, encounter with Adam, and close shave with the Grimm in Argus, and everyone was feeling the fatigue that came with that adventure.

Ruby stretched back with a yawn, blinking heavy lids. "This all looks great, Penny," she mumbled, "but where are we staying?"

"Remember," her friend replied, oblivious to their tired faces, "you're in Atlas now! As the most well-funded school on Remnant, every teen at Atlas Academy gets their own room. And if that wasn't enough—"

"So we're staying in the dorms?" Ren cut off. Nora was perched on his shoulder, asleep on her feet and only staying up because of him.

"It'll be just like Beacon again!" Penny said with an excited little dance and a hop. The kids were too tired to share her enthusiasm. Nora finally fell free of Ren to the floor, barely stirring enough to murmur.

* * *

Down in Mantle, it had begun to rain almost as soon as the friends had been picked up and carted away by the police. Thanks to the Kingdom's heating system, the drizzle remained a mere nuisance on a bleak, chilly evening rather than a deadly snowstorm like those that ravaged the tundra surrounding the Kingdom. The civilian population was used to frequent Grimm attacks at this point, and though there was some heat going around from local politician Robyn Hill about why the city's defenses and wall couldn't be adequately repaired, the people had realized that until she was hopefully elected, there was nothing they could do but rely on Atlesian Knights and personnel to take the Grimm out before too much damage was done. After Penny had eliminated the attacking Sabyrs, life had gone pretty much back to normal, people roaming the streets freely as they went about their business.

As such, no one took special notice of the thin, wiry man in the purple coat with the fur-lined hood walking down the sidewalk, an umbrella shielding him from the rain in one hand and a briefcase in the other. If one were to take a closer look at him, they might realize just how expensive the purple coat was, or might see the many rings that adorned his fingers, and realize that he appeared quite out of place in the dank, damp streets of Mantle. His refined, tanned features, bushy yet neatly trimmed mustache, and sharp green eyes would look more at home at an Atlesian dinner party upstairs.

However, no one gave close enough attention to Arthur Watts to pay those small details any mind. Overhead, Ironwood was parroting out his propaganda, prattling on about how the Kingdom would remain safe. Watts smirked at the man's ignorance.

"For the last time," the doctor murmured, "a singular hideout makes us more susceptible to discovery."

Over his earpiece radio, the hissing voice of Tyrian Callows replied, "but what if we're seen? What if we're recognized?"

"We stay _mobile,_" Watts replied.

This did not placate Tyrian. Watts didn't flinch as the background noise of stabbing carried over the comm channel. Tyrian grunted as he carried out whatever he was working on and replied, "We're walking around a city with a thousand eyes."

Watts thumbed a control on his umbrella, and before him, the traffic signal changed from _stop _to _cross_. He didn't break stride as he made his way across the street, ignoring the blaring of vehicles that pulled up just short of hitting him, and sighed. "While cyber security has been stepped up in Atlas, as usual, noe of the code was updated in Mantle." He thumbed his control again as he crossed another street, causing a blockade of posts to emerge from the street and bring another vehicle to a crashing halt before it could hit him. The surrounding street denizens hurried to help the vehicle, paying no mind to the doctor as he crossed without incident.

Tyrian gave a low laugh, and Watts was glad, not for the first time, that Salem kept him on a strong leash. "That certainly sounds useful."

Watts thumbed a new switch, this one on his left hand's index ring, and the cameras around the block went dead as he turned into an alleyway toward their hideout. "It should be. I helped write that code, after all."

A few alleys over, Tyrian emerged from a small apartment, wearing his brown coat and a sadistic grin. His tail, now entirely encased in metal and wielding a wicked stinger at the end, flicked around him like a serpent before moving to wrap itself around his waist. "Well, I suppose we all have our talents." He walked away from the domicile, leaving a pool of blood to seep out beneath the door. The cameras watched with deadened eyes as the crimson liquid spread—a silent, grisly testament to the crime within.


	91. Ace Operatives

Chapter Three: Ace Operatives

Upon being debriefed by Ironwood and escorted to their rooms by Penny, Teams RWBY and JNR were quickly swept up into the busy life of adjunct Atlesian military operatives. A restful night's sleep had led to days of being brought up to speed on the state of the Kingdom of Atlas, as well as situations down in Mantle. Ironwood had been friendly and helpful throughout, taking the group in as if they were his own students. The General appointed the Ace Operatives to be a chaperone of sorts to the young aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses, which gave the teens a chance to get to know the elite soldiers.

Heading up the team was Clover Ebi, the fair skinned man with brown hair, light green eyes, and the fishing pole weapon. Generally good natured and friendly, he welcomed the young recruits and appeared to enjoy training them, displaying the caring leadership that distinguished why Ironwood had chosen him to lead the Ace Ops.

Harriet Bree was the pixie cut, chocolate skinned lieutenant of the group, second in command behind Clover and with a competitive streak a mile wide. The other woman was Elm Ederne, who always went barefoot and wielded a massive hammer that went well with her boisterous yet hearty manner.

The Faunus man introduced himself as Marrow Amin, and while he definitely displayed a fair amount of plucky charm, he tended to interact primarily with Blake and kept a wide berth of Weiss until the Faunus girl made an effort to introduce them. Though clearly still reserved, Marrow managed cordiality, which Weiss returned warmly.

The fifth and final member of the Ace Ops was the quietly sober Vine Zeki, whose lanky appearance and pale shade bore an unsettling likeness to a group of Apathy Team RWBY had encountered in Mistral. However, despite his unusual appearance, Vine always managed to be charmingly down to earth, a fact which led the others to jokingly suggest that he and Ren were perfect for each other.

The Ace Operatives managed to quickly organize the disoriented and overwhelmed children, and after a day or two of R&R, the kids were ready to be put to work and begin helping with the Amity Communications Tower project. Early one morning, Clover called in Ruby, Jaune, and Qrow to lay out the plans for their first mission.

"Alright, gather round. Our mission today is to secure the launch site for the Amity Communications Tower." Clover had displayed before him a series of charts, maps, and information about the target area. "The designated area is an abandoned Dust mine. Since its closure, the Grimm have moved in. The good news is, all that untouched Dust is still down there too. Science team says they'll need it for the first phase of their launch.

"Atlas military Huntsmen are already hard at work clearing out the surrounding tundra. But Recon has identified a powerful Geist that's managed to evade destruction and take several lives." A feed of the military disposing of minor Grimm outside the mine popped up, as did an image of the Geist. The creature was massive, reminiscent of one that Ruby and Jaune had fought with Nora and Ren months earlier in their trek across Anima. "After we increased our numbers, the Geist was smart enough to retreat into the mine itself, meaning it's old and extremely dangerous. This is our target."

A new graphic appeared, a three dimensional rendering of the mine within the mountain, displaying an array of offshooting tunnels. "The mine was a labyrinth back in the day," Clover went on. "There's all sorts of tunnels and chambers the Geist can move between, so if we're gonna kill this thing, we'll have to split up and corner it."

The Ace Operative turned to the threesome. "General Ironwood says you've seen your fair share of combat. I trust that man with my life, so tomorrow, I'll be trusting you all too."

Ruby and Jaune happily agreed. Qrow offered a curt nod.

* * *

A few hours later, a military escort flew over the Atlesian tundra, trails of smoke left from the tips of the wings as they knifed through the air. The abandoned SDC mine awaited below as the doors to one Manta opened to reveal a new and improved team RWBY. Each of the girls had gotten a new outfit, more fitting to the colder climate of Atlas than their Mistral wear. Ruby's was the least changed of the group, changing out her billowing white undershirt for a tighter pair of grey longsleeves and some new tights, as well as a new hairstyle that let her crimson-tipped locks flow free and wild about her head.

Weiss had traded in her combat skirt and pale blue dress for a deeper blue, customized uniform that was reminiscent of her sister Winter's. Her heels had been replaced by a pair of knee-high boots, and she had done her long, white ponytail up in an elaborate braid.

Blake was even further changed than Weiss. She had replaced her white coat that she had lost in Argus with a new one from the Atlesian military, complemented by form-fitting, dark navy pants. Her hair, however, was the most drastic change, as she had cut off much of the length that she'd had since Beacon Academy to fall softly above her shoulders where it had once run down her back.

Yang had simply had some adjustments made to her leather jacket, to give it a fur lining and a yellow stripe down each arm, and was also donning a new pair of sunglasses with orange lenses.

Each of them wore an earpiece through which came a crackle, followed by the voice of Clover. "Let's make it happen, people." Ruby cast a glance to her teammates, who gave her a nod in turn, before she leaped from the aircraft with her Semblance and spiraled into free fall with a carefree laugh. Whipping Crescent Rose from her back, she placed her feet on the blade and began her usual landing strategy, pogosticking her way down with brief pulls of the trigger.

A little ways ahead of her, Weiss was hopping through the sky from glyph to glyph, casting a Summon before her that brought forth the armored arm of the Arma Gigas. The white knight thrust its sword forward for Weiss to slide down the blade to the ground.

Blake had had Gambol Shroud's blade repaired by Pietro and his technicians, and with the brand new weapon, she hurled it forward to wrap around a pipe and used her ribbon as a rope to sling herself to the ground.

Last but not least, Yang took her ever straightforward approach and waited til the last second before firing forward with her gauntlets to stop herself. She slid to a stop next to the other three girls, each completing their landing within seconds of each other.

Shortly thereafter, Harriet and Marrow both followed suit, having jumped from the same aircraft as them. The elder Hunstmen formed up, Marrow catching his weapon, a boomeranging blade that doubled as an assault rifle as he did so.

Everyone looked above as the second Manta of the escort shot overhead, heading for the second landing zone. Within the aircraft, Elm looked out eagerly as the door slid open and let in the cold air from outside. Turning to Vine, Jaune, Ren, and Nora, she shouted merrily, "This is my favorite part!" before falling out backward from the Manta. Vine followed after her, as did the JNR trio. Nora and Ren fell downward quickly, leaving Jaune to glide after them. With a button push, he deployed his new upgrades to Crocea Mors and two hardlight Dust extensions protruded from the edges of his shield to serve as glider wings. When he neared the ground, he collapsed the wings and bounced off of his shield with a Dust-enhanced boost, then landed with his weapon drawn next to Ren and Nora.

Team RWBY hadn't been the only ones to change up their outfits to fit the climate. Jaune had left behind his Pumpkin Pete's hoodie in favor of a solid black, long-sleeved tee and had modified his armor with Atlesian resources to be stronger and more resilient. He had also followed Blake's lead in cutting his hair, ridding himself of locks that had grown far more scraggly than when Weiss had first described them that way in favor of a shorter, spikier hairdo.

Ren had tied his hair into a ponytail that trailed down his back, trimmed the longer parts of his green coat in exchange for warmer pants, and now wore his father's dagger on his right shoulder. Nora had gotten a new, sleeveless pink coat; elbow-length white sleeves that ended in black, fingerless gloves; and had cut her hair to the length it had been while she was at Beacon.

Upon seeing the trio's smooth landing, Elm gave a sporting laugh. "Perhaps you kids won't get yourselves killed after all!" She turned to begin heading into the mine, not noticing the disappointment of Jaune and Nora at her comment. Vine, however, noticed their chagrin and offered, "She meant that as a compliment."

The third and final Manta dropped its payload of Qrow and Clover at the third entry point. The kids weren't alone in wardrobe changes, Qrow having traded in his gray dress shirt for a darker gray collared shirt and a brown vest. Clover lifted a hand to his earpiece. "This is alpha squad, LZ's clear. Proceeding on foot. You've all got fancy new Scrolls, so don't forget to use them. Keep your eyes and ears open. I want an update if you encounter the target. Alpha out."

Blake examined the new Scroll Clover had mentioned. It was far sleeker than ordinary civilian tech, with a fold-out holographic screen that displayed nearby teammates' names, pictures, and Aura levels. Suddenly feeling eyes on her, Blake looked up to see Yang staring at her. With a slight sound of embarrassment, Yang said, "Sorry, just not used to the new hair yet."

Blake blushed self-consciously and ran a hand through her shorter raven locks, her ears curling downward as she asked, "Is it… bad?"

"No! No! It's good—great even!" Yang hastily replied.

Marrow groaned at the sight. "Man, I did not sign up to be a babysitter!" he complained to Harriet.

"Yeah, well, the rest of us babysit you all the time," Harriet jibed at him, leaving him to cross his arms indignantly as she approached their entrance point to the mine.

Ahead of them, Weiss was examining an abandoned piece of technology. She brushed off the layer of snow that had covered it to reveal the SDC logo. At the sight, she frowned and let out a small groan, as if the mere sight reminded her of her unpleasant upbringing, but quickly shrugged it off as she and the other three followed after Harriet and Marrow.

Ruby rubbed her forearms desperately for warmth, teeth chattering. Each word came out with a puff of steam as she said, "Oh, it's freezing out here!"

Weiss agreed. "Without heating or a projected Aura, the cold of Solitas can kill you in a matter of hours."

"I suddenly don't feel as bad about leaving Oscar behind," Blake said, her own cheeks slightly ruddy from the nipping chill.

Beside her, Yang shifted uncomfortably, hands on her hips. "Can we… talk about that again?" she said.

Ruby cast a cautious gaze toward Harriet and Marrow ahead of them, but the duo of Ace Ops seemed preoccupied surveying the terrain of rusty shipping containers and long-dormant Dust processing tech. "What about it?"

Her sister gave her a look. "We're really not gonna tell Ironwood about what happened to Oz? What we learned about Jinn? About Salem?"

"We are!" Ruby replied quickly. She stopped, gave a short sigh. "We will. But you saw how things looked when we flew into Atlas." The lockdown and the General's overall state of anxiety and slight paranoia had not been promising factors upon their arrival. Add to that that the last encounter they'd had with a Headmaster had been being betrayed to Raven Branwen and Cinder Fall by Lionheart in Mistral, and Ruby was still not sure that alerting the General of their dire news immediately was the best course of action. It didn't mean she was comfortable with the decision, but right now, it seemed like the best option.

Blake seemed to agree with her. "The General's heart seems to be in the right place, but that doesn't mean we should trust him yet."

"We need to play along for a while before we make any major decisions," Weiss concurred.

"Okay," Yang said after a short moment. She turned to Ruby, her eyebrows cocked with a new question. "How did Oscar feel about that?"

Ruby averted her gaze for a moment, her mind replaying her conversation with Oscar that morning…

It had been after Pietro had ushered them into his laboratory to show them their new outfits and the upgrades he'd made to their weapons. Ruby had been inspecting her newly improved Crescent Rose when Oscar tentatively appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Ruby?"

She looked over to him. "Oscar! Good to see you! I was meaning to give you something." Her hand went to her belt and unclipped the Relic of Knowledge, hanging where it had ever since Ironwood had returned it to her. She walked over to Oscar with it and held it out to him. He looked to the lamp in surprise. "Uh, probably shouldn't keep running around with an ancient Relic on a keychain," she explained. "Y'know?"

Oscar glanced up at her. "But—"

"I know you'll keep it safe in Atlas," she reassured him.

However, he looked to her with a different question in his hazel-green eyes. "Ruby… hiding things from Ironwood… doesn't that feel like what Ozpin did to us?"

The question reverberated in the young Huntress's head as she looked back to her sister. "I understand why you're worried. Believe me, I can barely go a minute without double guessing whether it's the right decision or not. But for now, it seems like the best path to take. So until another one shows itself, this is how I want to go forward."

Yang looked at her for a long moment before she sighed. "Okay. I'll follow your lead." She frowned. "But I don't like this, Ruby."

Ruby matched her sister's expression. "Neither do I."

* * *

The interior of the mine looked like something from another world. Hollowed out caves made for long corridors of ice that glowed an ethereal blue. The stone floor was covered in a fine layer of snow and ice, and small streaks of glowing color graced the surface of the walls and ceiling where a hint of the Dust vein showed itself.

Qrow and Clover took in the pulsating reds, greens, and yellows of the Dust, proceeding with caution and with a wary eye for any sign of Grimm. "Gotta say," Qrow admitted to the Ace Operative, "still not used to working with other Huntsmen in the field."

"But you were on a team before, weren't you?" Clover asked.

Qrow gave a sigh, thinking back to the glory days of Team STRQ, before Raven had left for the tribe. "Long time ago. I just found working alone tends to be for the best."

"Well, I think that's a shame," Clover replied.

Before Qrow could retort, his foot caught on a patch of ice the snow had hidden and sent him forward with a cry. Before he could faceplant, though, Clover's hand shot forward and grabbed him by the elbow, pulling him back upright to his feet. The soldier gave Qrow a pointed grin, to which the Huntsman frowned, before going to his communicator, a chuckle in his voice. "Alpha here. Gimme an update."

From the second team's position, Vine responded, "The connecting ice tunnels seem clear. We should be approaching the actual mine any minute now."

Behind him and Elm, the JNR trio followed close behind. Nora was visibly excited to be on the mission. "This is so exciting!" she exclaimed. "It feels like we're an actual Huntsman team." She looked sideways toward Ren, admiring the way that his new clothes showed off his slim, toned physique. "I, um… like what you did with your outfit, Ren," she said nervously, twiddling her fingers.

Ren didn't look at her. He sounded slightly uncomfortable as he replied, "We should probably stay focused on the mission."

Nora stopped walking, her smile drooping as he continued on ahead. "Oh. Okay," she replied, slightly crestfallen at his demeanor.

Beside her Jaune offered, "I like your outfit too!" Nora merely "Hmphed!" at him and followed after Ren.

"Bravo checking in," came Harriet over the comms. "Hit a bit of a snag. There's been a cave in at the main entrance. Not sure if it's recent or was caused by the original accident." Before Team RWBY and the Ace Ops, a large pile of boulders obstructed the entrance to the mine, blocking off the railway tracks that had been designed for Dust carts at their feet.

At Harriet's words, Blake's ears twitched, as suddenly she realized something. There had been a familiarity about this facility from the moment they had landed, but she hadn't felt it click until now.

As Harriet and Clover continued conversing over comms, Yang noticed her teammate's expression as she scanned the cavern. "You okay?" she asked.

Blake shivered, and not from the cold. "I just realized where we are. This mine was closed after an explosion." She didn't say more, but she could remember seeing the reports as a kid in Menagerie when it happened. Better still was her memory of a late night in Forever Fall, talking with Ilia on the roof of a White Fang facility. About the day Ilia had lost her parents in this mine.

From the side, Weiss piped up. "I remember this disaster." Blake and Yang both turned to look at her. The former heiress wore a face of shame and regret as she continued, "Or rather, I remember how furious it made my father." She sighed and walked toward Blake. "I wish I could take back the years of pain my family has caused the Faunus, and all of my complacency in it." She crossed her arms self-consciously over her chest and looked to the floor. Blake stepped toward her, however, and placed a reassuring and forgiving hand on her shoulder to let her know it was alright.

Marrow had caught the back half of the conversation and cut in, "This society is set up for Faunus to be at the bottom, and humans are willing participants. They benefit from doing nothing to help us, but there are still those who actively abuse." He let the statement hang in the air for a moment before going on, "Anyway, I didn't come over here looking to solve systemic societal issues. Harriet found a gap in the rubble we think one of you could fit through," he looked at Blake, "ideally someone with a knack for seeing in the dark?"

Blake had been distracted, gazing at a crate with the SDC label for a long moment, seeing not on the side of a gray container, but scarred into flesh beneath blazing red hair. She snapped back to reality at Marrow's voice, "O-oh, of course," and moved forward toward the cave in, but not without Yang noticing her hesitation.

Harriet directed Blake to the whole, and once the Faunus girl had wriggled through to the other side, she drew her weapon in its pistol form and scanned the darkened area with her enhanced vision. Marrow asked via comms, "Alright, Blake, take a look around. Is there any Dust in the immediate area?"

Blake surveyed what lay before her. "Minecarts… eh, debris. No Dust, though."

"Great. Then it should be safe to blast our way through."

"Okay. Heading baaaaah!" Blake cut off in a surprised cry as the Geist Grimm suddenly leaped from the shadows with a shriek, slashing at her with its taloned hands. Blake left behind a shadow to take the hit and backflipped away, quickly opening fire on the Grimm.

From the other side of the wall, the others heard her shots. Harriet groaned, "Dammit. Blake, stand back!" and engaged her weapons, a pair of cybernetically enhancing gloves that unfolded from behind her and traced up the full length of her arms. With a cry, she punched forward and blasted a hole in the rock, then rushed through the other side to assist Blake with Marrow and the girls on her heels.

Upon seeing the Geist, the group opened fired, but the wraithlike form twisted in the air and avoided the shots before turning and fleeing deeper into the mine. Blake and Yang began to rush after it, Yang shouting, "Don't let it get away!" However, before their pursuit got very far, they were interrupted by a new arrival as something burrowed up from out of the ground. It was a Grimm with a long, segmented body, wriggling legs, and cleaver-like mandibles that clenched and unclenched hungrily. A Centinel. With an unnerving hissing sound, the centipede-like Grimm lunged forward at the girls, but Yang reacted quickly with a punch and a blast from Ember Celica.

The Centinel's head snapped back from the blow, the hissing turning to hoarse, pained shrieks as it spewed a greenish liquid from its mouth area. Wounded, the creature retreated into the ground, only for a legion of its brothers to come to its aid, burrowing out from all directions from the walls, ceiling, and floors to completely surround the group of Huntsmen.

Yang blanched. "That's disgusting." The girls cocked their weapons and leaped forward into the fray, slashing and shooting with all they had. As Ruby zipped ahead and slammed into one of the centipedes with her Semblance, Weiss and Blake took out a duo of the creatures with slashes from their weapons. Marrow and Harriet were facing off with some of the Centinels that had appeared behind them.

Yang fired a pair of shots that disintegrated two Grimm on the ceiling before noticing another pair in front of her. With a click, she thumbed a button and activated her new weapon upgrade, battering the two Centinels with a flurry of blows before leaping clear. With each blow, a sticky grenade latched onto the Grimm's bodies, and with another push of the button, they detonated and turned the monsters into clouds of ash.

Ruby was utilizing her own upgrade as well. She slashed forward with her scythe and cut through a Grimm in the middle, sending the upper half of its body into the air. With a cock of a lever along the handle, Crescent Rose's head twisted 180 degrees for Ruby to slash upwards and slice neatly through the Centinel. Another cock brought the blade facedown again, where Ruby dug it into the ice as a sniper stand to take shots at more creatures down the corridor.

Marrow came to her aide, vaulting over her and taking down two Grimm with well-placed bursts of fire before he hit the ground and tucked into a roll. His weapon transformed into its boomerang blade form as he hurled it forward to ricochet off the wall and cut another Grimm down. The blade returned to his hand for a final, finishing blow before two more Centinels approached him, spiraling around each other as they crawled for him with clicking mandibles.

Marrow didn't move, smirking slightly as he displayed his Semblance. With a snap of his fingers in their direction, the Ace Op commanded, "Stay." The Grimm slowed to a halt before him, frozen. Harriet was at his side to finish them off, slamming them both to the floor with her bionic knuckles.

As the Grimm disintegrated, Harriet went to her comms. "This is Bravo! We found the target but it fled deeper into the mine! Engaging Centinels!"

Elm and Vine heard the broadcast in their tunnel and turned to JNR. "Let's pick up the pace!" Elm ordered. Before them, the hallway slanted downward, the slope slippery with ice. The two elder Huntsmen began to slide down, followed by Ren, Nora and Jaune. As they slid, three Centinels burrowed out the walls at the base of the ramp.

"Contact!" Vine hollered, using his own Semblance to stretch out his limbs and stick to the walls, stopping himself in place. Elm's Semblance was similar, holding her feet in place so that she too could stop. The younger three zipped past them on the ice, taking the enemy head on. Jaune dug his sword in behind him to decelerate and slammed his shield into the ground, sending out a Dust blast that propelled the Centinels away.

Ren leaped high and used StormFlower's modifications, firing his blades forward by ultrastrong cables to latch onto one of the centipedes before reeling himself in and peppering the beast with point blank fire. While its screeches died in his ears, the second one reared up behind him to attack, but Nora brought the head of Magnhild down atop it. A pull of her trigger blasted apart the creature's skull while simultaneously flipping her hammer in the air to come down neatly on the last one's head, both fading quickly into smoke.

Vine and Elm disengaged their Semblances and slid the rest of the way down. Vine took in their handywork. "A very… headfirst approach," he commented neutrally. Elm, however, favored them with an impressed grin and a thumbs up.

The Atlesians walked ahead while Jaune easily replied, "Yeah, well that's just… kinda our style." However, when the Ace Ops were ahead of them, the three uttered a collective sigh of relief.

* * *

Team RWBY, Harriet, and Marrow had nearly mopped up the last of the Grimm, with only one remaining to try and slither away. "One left!" Weiss cried, poised to strike before Harriet raced by her in a blur.

"I've got it!" Ruby shouted, taking aim. However, before she could attack, Harriet zipped past and took the Centinel out with a single punch through its core, the body fading to smoke around her hand. At the sight, Ruby approached Harriet with eyes sparkling with amazement. "Woah! Your Semblance makes you super fast, just like me!"

"Very cool!" Hare replied. She held up her thumb and forefinger, her competitive streak showing as she went on, "Though, based on your reaction time, I'd say, I'm a little faster."

Before she could go on, Clover's voice came over comms. "This is Alpha! We've engaged the target!"

In Clover's tunnel, he and Qrow had been walking when the Geist had suddenly flitted around the corner out of nowhere, prompting the two men to give chase. Qrow was taking shots at it with his weapon while Clover went on, "All squads, head toward our position." The Grimm was agile, evading each of Qrow's attacks and floating further down the corridor. Clover unfurled his fishing pole weapon and cast forth, the hook just barely missing the Geist to clatter to the ground.

The Grimm didn't miss the opening and dashed into an icy pile of rubble. Its possession taking shape, the Geist summoned other bits of debris from the walls around it, taking in chunks of ice and metal to form a frosted Petra Gigas. Qrow ducked a larger piece of ice as Clover rushed in, trying vainly to cast for the mask of the creature with his rod.

However, as Qrow watched, a hunk of ice into which a support beam was drilled began to weaken and fail. "Wait, stop!" he cried to Clover. The other man turned to him in confusion before the bolts gave way and the support beam fell with a loud clank, throwing up a cloud of dust. When it cleared, the Petra Gigas was nowhere to be seen, a large pit gaping as evidence that it had fled deeper into the mine after the ground gave way under its weight. The steel beam lay a few feet in front of Clover; had Qrow not warned him to stay where he was, it would have crushed him with a few more steps.

Clover peered over the edge but saw no sign of the Geist. "Darn it." He activated the comms channel, retracting his weapon as he said, "Target escaped. Last seen heading east." To Qrow, he said, "Thanks for the callout. That could've been bad." He kicked a pebble into the hole, listening as it echoed against the sides.

Qrow sighed, and replied in a low voice, "I wouldn't thank me. My Semblance brings misfortune. Sometimes I can't keep it under control."

"That so?" He looked to see Clover grinning at him, a twinkle in his green eyes. He checked his Scroll for something, then glanced back at what remained of the metal beam in the wall. "Well, hey, don't beat yourself up about it." He extended his weapon once more and cast for the beam, looping the hook around until it caught on the line. With a heaving tug, Clover pulled down the rest of the beam, taking a large portion of the wall with it to cover over the hole. He turned back to Qrow with a wink. "My Semblance is good fortune. Lucky you, huh?"

Qrow stared at him for a moment, taken aback by the news. Clover turned to continue deeper into the mine, saying over the radio, "Charlie, Bravo, you should be able to cut off the target at the heart of the mine. Qrow and I won't be far behind." Slowly, Qrow moved to follow after Clover, a question niggling the back of his mind.

Good fortune. Hmm. Wonder what that would be like?

* * *

Elm and Vine led Nora, Ren, and Jaune deeper into the mine until they came upon a large, cavernous room that they took to be the main mining hub from when the quarry had still been active. A droplet of sweat dripped down Jaune's face to the ground, landing with a sizzle as heat from Dust beneath their feet turned it to steam. The room was mostly empty in the middle, but old machinery and walkways were strewn about the perimeter. The Dust had become more prominent the deeper they had traversed, and in this room, everywhere they looked seemed to have a kaleidoscopic sparkle from the energy crystals.

At another entrance on the ground level, Team RWBY, Marrow, and Harriet entered below the first arrivals. "Guys!" Ruby called to them in greeting.

Vine went to his earpiece. "Everyone use caution." His eyes scanned the glittering lights of energy that streaked the walls and ceiling. "This room is highly active with Dust energy. Triggering it could ruin the launch site."

"And vaporize us!" Marrow added indignantly. "How is that always second with you?"

Nora stepped forward, gazing around. The room seemed empty of any Grimm. "I thought the target was supposed to be in here?" However, a rumble from above drew her attention with a gasp. Everyone followed the noise to see a large collection of metal beams and ice boulders trembling at the very top of the room. The main boulder swivelled to reveal the red streaks and white mask of the Geist Grimm. The Geist dropped down from its perch on the ceiling, crushing through a bridge that ran across the middle of the room like it was nothing as it landed and gazed formidably down at its opponents on the ground.

However, the Petra Gigas had made a new addition to its body, the hint of purple flashes strewn across its limbs and torso. Ruby's eyes widened in shock. "It added Dust to its body? How are we supposed to—!" But Harriet was already moving, speeding past Ruby toward the beast with Marrow close behind.

Elm leaped down from the overlooking perch and sprinted for one of the legs of the giant. "Elm!" Vine called to her, stretching out his limbs with a golden glow to wrap around the leg. With his other hand he took hold of a nearby metal beam, flexing his arms with a grunt to immobilize the leg for the moment.

It wouldn't hold for long, but it was all the time Elm needed. Racing forward, she wrapped her arms around the icy foot and dug in her heels with her Semblance. "Vine!" she cried. Vine released his hold and leaped high over the Petra Gigas to a nearby catwalk, flipping onto it neatly with his arms before stretching out to grab the beast's right arm.

With the tension of Elm at the left foot and Vine on the right arm, the metal and ice armor of the creature's body was stretched out, exposing the vulnerable Grimm flesh within from the tensino. "Marrow!" Vine called to the Faunus Operative. Marrow needed no further instruction, rearing back with his boomerang blade before hurling it at the opening to slice clean through the arm.

His eyes went wide as the arm, and the Dust crystal contained within, went flying. If that Dust hit the ground with enough force, it could react and blow the mine sky high. "Harriet!" he hollered. The speedster had already assumed a sprinter's position, and with a quick zip across the room she bounced off a metal walkway and easily caught the crystal before it could hit the ground.

Teams RWBY and JNR hadn't even moved yet, watching wide-eyed as the professional Huntsmen went to work on the beast. Marrow's blade cut through the air, as well as the other arm of the Geist with a glancing, but not quite finishing, blow. However, the next crystal went flying at a wide angle, away from any of the Ace Ops to recover in time. "Crap!" Marrow cried.

Everyone's eyes traced the Dust as it hurtled disastrously toward the ground, before it was intercepted by a waiting arm. With a smirk and a slight chuckle, Clover stepped forward, having emerged from a nearby tunnel with Qrow onto one of the upper levels. "What would you guys do without me?" he murmured, before turning to toss the crystal to Qrow so that he could enter the fray. With a salute to the other man, the soldier backflipped off the platform to help his team.

Harriet was taking advantage of the creature's size and lumbering nature, keeping herself out from beneath its crushing blows with her speed while Vine flipped around with his extendable appendages. He delivered a sound bow to the Geist's body, knocking it backward into one of the walkways with a crash. Slowly, it recovered as Harriet whistled tauntingly from across the room. By the time the beast's remaining arm had slammed down, she was already gone to harass it in another location. Elm took the opportunity and slammed down onto the limb with her hammer, momentarily embedding it in the floor. As the beast struggled to extricate the arm, its armor once again stretched to reveal the weakened flesh beneath, which Marrow sliced through like butter.

The now-armless creature staggered backward as Clover rushed in, deploying his fishing rod as he leaped up and kicked off the Petra Gigas' knee. With a stroke of his four-leaf-clover charm, he cast forward, the hook of his weapon wrapping around the Geist's facemask and catching on the line. As the kids looked on in awe at the display, Clover gave a warcry and a mighty tug that completely pulled the Geist out of its rocky avatar. From between the massive legs, Harriet came rushing forward with a launching uppercut that killed the Grimm before it even realized it had been dispossessed of the ice.

However, without the Geist to hold the giant together, the boulders and beams began to quickly fall apart, along with the Dust within them. Each of the Ace Ops quickly went to work, Vine using his extendable appendages to snag two crystals out of the air. Elm ducked into a roll and hugged another close to her chest as Marrow flipped backward to one of the catwalks with a fourth in his hands.

Clover used his pole to sling himself around the former torso of the Grimm and recover another purple crystal. However, as he came to a landing, his sharp eyes caught the sight of the last crystal, hurtling across the room to the floor. "Harriet!" he cried.

His lieutenant was nearly already moving, sprinting almost too fast to be seen across the room as she bobbed and weaved among strewn and falling wreckage to beeline for the crystal. However, right before she could catch it, a red blur zipped past her and intercepted the Dust. Harriet tucked and rolled to come up on her feet and watched with wide eyes as the red blur resolved itself into Ruby Rose, surrounded by a cloud of falling rose petals and cradling the Dust in her arms with a small chuckle as she landed on her rear and slid to a stop against the wall.

Gently, Ruby set the crystal down beside her and took Harriet's offered hand to be helped to her feet. The Atlesian looked at her with a grin and a quirked brow. "Thought you said your Semblance was like mine?"

Ruby's own brow furrowed in confusion at the words. "It… is?" she replied, scratching her head.

Harriet disagreed. "I've seen other speed Semblances before, but that was different. Maybe there's more going on than you think?"

Weiss, Blake, and Yang watched from the side. Yang grinned. "Wait until she sees what she can do with her eyes." Blake chuckled.

Clover put his weapon away as Qrow leaped down from the catwalk to join the group, watching as a triumphant Elm hoisted Ruby up onto her shoulders. Qrow glanced at the other man. "Luck catch, huh?" he said, indicating Ruby.

Clover smiled. "Hm, no. I'd chalk that one up to talent," he complimented, both of them smiling as the kids and Ace Ops came together to celebrate the victory with excited chattering and high fives. Clover brought a hand up to his earpiece, feeling satisfied. "Atlas Control, this is Clover. Mission accomplished."

* * *

Mantle's Underbelly, Atlas

"Yeah, thanks for the lift!" Forest shouted sarcastically at the departing Atlesian airship. His day had been a rough one, what with the arrest and all, and honestly, he was counting himself lucky to have been let off with a warning. Muttering about Atlas corruption, he began to trudge into a nearby alleyway, heading for a Happy Huntress meetup site. However, his encounter on the bus with the Schnee girl was sticking with him. Though he was still dubious about her apparent disdain for her hometown and all the perks that came with it, he could shake the memory of her face, the sincerity in her voice when she'd scorned the elites of Atlas.

Regardless, it was good information to have. Miss Hill would likely be interested to learn that the former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company had returned to Atlas, and had been taken with her friends to talk to Ironwood, no less. It was something that probably needed to be reported to the others.

Forest was stirred from his thoughts by a noise from behind him, or what he'd thought had been a noise. Turning around, he scanned the alley for any sight of someone, but there was no one to be seen. Taking a breath and chalking it up to high-strung nerves, he turned to continue making his way down the alley only to jump back with a surprised yelp at the sight of someone standing in his way.

The man before him was slightly lean, but his open white coat displayed a scarred, bare chest of toughly defined muscle. The man smirked at him evilly, a twinkle in his yellow eyes and his hands neatly clasped before him. Something about the glimmer in those yellow eyes made Forest uneasy. "Who're you?" he ventured, still shrinking back against the dumpster.

The man stepped forward, his voice light, but still holding a malevolent edge. "Me? Oh, well, I'm… someone just like you." In the pale light of the alley's overhead bulb, the man's yellow eyes turned purple. His hissing voice made him sound slightly snakelike as he continued, "Someone who… wants to mix things up around here." The man began to chuckle unsettlingly, and it was only when the sound of shifting gears reached Forest's ears that he looked down and saw the tail.

His eyes went wide with alarm at the wicked metal stinger. The man was a Faunus, and a dangerous scorpion one at that. Forest looked up, a plea for mercy forming on his lips, but all that came out was a frightened yelp that turned to a scream as the tail whipped forward toward him. He felt a stab below his right lung, followed by a pain like burning acid up the right side of his body, then the left, before his ears began to buzz and he fell to his knees.

Gasping, Forest rolled onto his back, squinting for a moment against the light before his vision started to go dark. A blessed numbness swept over his limbs, extinguishing the fire and replacing it with an icy soothingness that made his eyelids droop. The last thing he saw before the darkness claimed him was the Faunus man kneeling down over his face, a wicked grin sprouting across his lips as he held a finger to his lips and made a shushing sound. Then, sound and sight failed him and he plunged forth into oblivion.

**Author's Note: So, Tyrian is a creepy sonofagun. Anyway, I'm back, like I promised, with Chapter Three of Volume Seven of RWBY: The Complete Saga! And as my boy Torchwick would say, it feels good to be back! Keep your eyes open for the next chapter, coming soon! Love you all, and remember, He is Risen! - Jek**


	92. Pomp and Circumstance

**Chapter Four: Pomp and Circumstance**

**Vytal Tower Staging Area, Kingdom of Atlas**

The daytime sun had faded into orange and purple dusk by the time the SDC quarry had been completely cleared of any remaining Grimm. Once the signal was given from Clover to Atlas Control, the scientists and technicians began swarming in, as well as resource trucks filled with Dust and other machinery for the launch of the tower. Said tower was also making an appearance, floating through the sky and momentarily eclipsing the evening sun as it took its place to hover over the mine.

No one took any notice of a couple of figures lying prone in the nearby snowhills just outside the mine. The two were both women, garbed in Huntress attire, but their concealed position and binoculars suggested that they were anything but Atlesian soldiers. Instead, the two women watched curiously as Amity took its place in the sky; when nothing new seemed to happen for several minutes, they departed to inform their leaders about this new development.

Down at the mine, the crew to thank for the Grimm-free zone were just emerging from the old tunnels. Clover's crew all stepped out into the crisp tundra air in stride, Qrow walking alongside them, while the kids hung back a ways, watching the elder Huntsmen with wide, starstruck eyes.

Jaune caught up to Clover, who msiled indulgently as the boy gushed, "You guys were _incredible! _Oh, the way you took down that Geist without needing to plan your tactics out, you just knew exactly what to do!"

Clover placed his hands on his hips. "Well, Ace Ops are handpicked to perfectly complement one another, so we can focus on our assets and leave our liabilities behind."

"Some of us are all asset, zero liability," Marrow boasted with a cocky grin and a salute, before turning at a snicker from Elm. "Yeah? Think I've got some liabilities, Elm?" he demanded.

The brawny woman smirked at him, her warhammer slung over one shoulder. "Your _brains, _for one."

Elm, Clover, and Harriet all chuckled at Marrow's pout, the latter two leaving him to greet the arriving Atlesians. Vine followed behind them after offering the Faunus man, "You _did _ask."

Elm grinned before a streak of orange caught the corner of her eye. She turned to see Nora staring at her with a manic grin. More specifically, staring at the large weapon hefted in her arm. "Hi! Do you need a new best friend?" Nora asked. "Our pair name can be…" She hefted her own Magnhild overhead and cried out, "_Thunder Thighs!_"

To the side, Ruby had approached Harriet, impressed like Jaune had been at the Ace Operatives' display. "Perfect, complementary teamwork. Oh yeah, I want to have my friends' backs just like that."

Hare glanced at her in confusion. "Friends?"

Elm chuckled as well. "This isn't the schoolyard, kids."

Now Ruby was the confused one, as were her other teammates as they came to stand by her side. Yang cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, when you go through so much with someone, it kinda changes things, doesn't it?"

Harriet shrugged. "We get along well enough, sure. I count on them to keep me alive. They do the same. But that's the job. We _don't _confuse the two." She turned from them to join her team, the girls watching her go with surprise at her matter-of-fact view. It was a far different one from their viewpoint; each girl knew that the other three looked at her as a best friend, close as sisters. To see the soldiers' cold detatchment from the rest of their team was jarring.

Harriet came up next to Clover. "Speaking of the job…" the leader said. She followed his gaze to see General Ironwood, who had arrived on the scene with the technicians. He was currently taking a call on his Scroll and giving some orders to a soldier. The man saluted and hurried to his duty as Ironwood continued the call. Clover began walking. "Duty ever beckons." To the kids, he ordered, "You all hang back a second."

Ruby watched the Ace Ops following after Clover, still slightly stung by what Harriet and Elm had said. However, her face brightened as she turned to her teammates. "What do you guys want to do when we get back to Atlas? Sightseeing?" She gasped. "Oh, what should we vist first?"

The rest of Team RWBY weren't nearly as enthusiastic, Blake looking at her with a tired yawn. "How about our beds?" Even though they hadn't done much during the main fight with the Geist, the rest of the day after that had been spent clearing the mine of remaining Centinels, as well as a few excursions into the cold outside to take care of Beowolves, and they were pooped.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Ruby protested, arms in the air. "This is a great time to go exploring! We haven't done that in so long." She looked sadly at the ground.

Weiss stared at her blankly. "Ruby, we just explored a whole continent, _on foot_, before flying to this one."

"Well—yeah, but… it was only the boring parts," the reaper murmured in reply.

Yang mirrored Weiss's expression. "We almost died." Ruby gave a _pfft _and waved it off, but it didn't change the others' decision, to her disappointment.

"Hey," came her uncle's voice. "Heads up." He thumbed over to Ironwood, who was currently in a discussion with Clover.

The General stopped and gazed over in their direction. "Can I get the team leaders over here? There's something I'd like to discuss with you. You too, Qrow." He turned back to Clover to finish his instruction, "I need you on the ground, but be subtle. If the people see too many Huntsmen milling around, they'll get nervous." Clover saluted with a nod, accepting his orders before turning to board a ship and see them carried out.

"And Clover?" Ironwood called after him. "Don't take Marrow." Clover glanced at his fellow Ace Op, who was currently telling a story to a pilot with some elaborate hand motions and sound effects for added drama, and grinned back at Ironwood with a chuckle and a brief nod.

Ironwood turned now to address Qrow, Jaune, and Ruby, who had approached him by now. "New problems in Mantle?" Qrow remarked.

Ironwood sighed in a way that enhanced his worry lines. "More of the same, unfortunately." He pulled out his Scroll and pulled up a pair of images. The one on the left displayed a mug shot of a man with long, stringy brown hair and green eyes. The information below him designated him _Inmate 2582. _On the right, the same man lay facedown in an alleyway, apparently dead. The text above the photo read: _Murdered body identified as Forest, Midtown Mantle_. "Someone in Mantle is taking out public leaders who speak out against Atlas. Specifically, people who speak out against me. It didn't look like a pattern at first. But this is the third murder of its kind in the last week."

Jaune and Ruby's eyes both widened in recognition. "Wait a minute," the blonde said, "that's the guy that rode with us after we were arrested."

Ruby drew back slightly in horror, a hand held to her mouth. "He _died?_" she whispered.

Qrow stared at his old ally. "Your opposition in Mantle dropping dead isn't exactly a good look for you, huh?"

Ironwood put the Scroll back in his pocket. "I'm not really worried about _my _public image, but it is causing unrest. I think someone's trying to frame me, and by extension, Atlas. And it's working."

Jaune crossed his arms. "Well, if it wasn't for the embargo making everybody so mad, people _probably _wouldn't be so quick to blame you for everything." Even though the teens had agreed to work with Ironwood with the launch of Amity, it didn't mean they all agreed with every part of his plan. Nora particularly was not fond of Ironwood's Dust embargo; seeing the suffering and struggle it caused the people in Mantle reminded her of her own childhood on the streets before she had found Ren, and as her teammate, Jaune was beginning to agree with her assessment.

Ironwood looked to the boy with a steely gaze and a frown at the remark. Jaune noticed and nervously cleared his throat. "Uhm, s-sir," he added.

However, Ironwood's shoulders slumped slightly with a sigh as he conceded, "No, no, you're right." He squinted his eyes closed and put a hand of consternation to the bridge of his nose. "Things in Mantle have been… hard to manage, lately. I'm not blind to its issues." He looked back to Ruby and Jaune. "In fact, that's what I want to talk to you about.

"With the launch of this mobile communications tower," he continued, turning to gaze up at Amity in the twighlight sky, "and tensions down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good your teams can do here." He seemed to have more to say, but before he could continue, his earpiece beeped and he lifted a hand to take the comms. His brow furrowed. "What? Already? Here?" His hand balled into a fist. "No. It's fine. Let him land. I'll deal with him myself."

Qrow traded a glance with his niece and cocked an eyebrow. "More Mantle problems?"

Ironwood didn't look at him. Instead, his eyes were fixed skyward at an ornate white ship that was currently coming in for a landing. On its side, just able to be made out at the distance, was the glittering snowflake emblem of the Schnee Dust Company. "No," the General replied, watching the ship circle in for its landing. "This one's an Atlas problem."

The General summoned up the other students and had them follow him to the landing site. With a gesture, he told them to wait back for a bit while he addressed the uninvited guest.

Ruby was standing with the other three members of her team when she sensed Weiss stiffen out the corner of her eye. She turned to see the former heiress fixated on the ship as it touched down, a ramp extending forth from the rear hatch before the doors swished open to reveal the source of Weiss's discomfort.

"So let me get this straight, James!" Jacques Schnee was already talking the moment the doors opened, stalking out of his ship like an angered King Taijitu as he stormed up to his onetime friend. "In addition to this non_sensical _embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer _private _property?!" He pointed a finger in the General's face, Ironwood staring at him with unflinching calm in the face of Jacques ire. "When the Council hears about this, you will _never_—!"

"Actually," James replied evenly, "I've already informed them." He gestured to the bustling activity behind him. "As this now the site of a classified _military _operation, it didn't even require a vote."

Jacques stared at him in disbelief. "Didn't require a _vote?!_" he repeated, incensed.

Ironwood met his gaze coolly. "You might want to brush up on Council law before you lose this upcoming election, Jacques. Now, I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time, it won't be a friendly reception."

Jacques glared at the other man, eyes narrowed into deadly slits as he spat, "Lately, you seem to forget who your friends really are. I'm going to get that council seat, James, and maybe then, you'll…" Jacques intended to go on, but for the first time, he glanced past Ironwood and noticed the audience to their discussion, particularly, his daughter, who stared at him with a gaze of undisguised disgust.

Weiss would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly satisfied to see Jacques at momentarly loss for words from the surprise of that moment. "You…" he started, trailing off from shock. However, the fire quickly returned to his eyes as he walked past Ironwood and gestured towards Weiss. "You roped my missing daughter into these schemes of yours, too? How long has she been back in Atlas? Did Winter know about this?"

Weiss was fed up. She stepped forward toward the man who had once held her in check and boldly proclaimed, "It was _my _decision to come here. Just like it was _my _decision to leave." She placed a hand on her hip, her eyes becoming lidded in disdain as she continued, "Or have you forgotten all about that?"

Jacques turned to her fully, derision in is voice and his expression. "If you think I'm one to forget anything, girl, then you've misjudged the man your father is."

Jacques was used to winning these battles of wills with her, used to her cowering to his will whenever he showed her the monster within that prowled in his cobalt eyes, but Weiss was not the same girl she had been when she had run away, and she _certainly _wasn't the same one who had left for Beacon over a year prior. Instead, she glared back at the monster, crossed her arms, and replied with steel in her words, "Believe me. I know _exactly _the kind of man you are."

Jacques temper flared at the show of disrespect. "How dare you speak to me that way! I have half a mind to—" He took a step towards her before Ironwood spoke from behind him.

"Half a mind to _what,_ Jacques?" Ironwood said. Jacques seemed livid, unused to not having the power in this situation. Weiss nearly smiled at the thought of what Ironwood might do should her father try to so much as _touch _her. He might even have him arrested for assaulting official Atlesian personnel.

However, Weiss's fantasy didn't come to fruition as Jacques grudgingly desisted. However, the shrewd businessman quickly shifted tactics, and when he next spoke, his voice dripped with faux sympathy. "You know, your mother was devastated when you left. Didn't leave her room for days." He looked significantly at her. "You know how she gets when she's… upset."

Weiss twitched, the mention of her mother stirring some emotion from her. It was the one thing she had done her best not to think about when she'd decided to run away: the effect it would have on Willow. Too many nights had she lain up, imagining her mother laying in bed with a bottle, no glass, and drinking herself into a stupor out of despair for her own situation and worry over Weiss's.

Behind her, Ruby was staring at her back worriedly, watching as Weiss's firm stance wilted slightly from Jacques disgusting, but effective, manipulation. Yang and Blake were more focused on Jacques, both staring at him angrily at this firsthand scene of his relationship to her daughter. Yang had already gotten somewhat of a sense of Weiss's predicament back in Mistral, after a fight one morning with Ruby, so she had the context to understand why Weiss was so distraught.

As for Blake, she already had ample reason to hate the man before her, what with his treatment of Faunus kind for years. However, to see the mental warfare that he used now on his own daughter, to fully grasp that this was what Weiss had grown up under, it made Blake regret every old insulting thought and assumption she had made about Weiss at Beacon, before she'd revealed she was a Faunus. Now, Blake's yellow eyes bored through Jacques with an intensity that said she would hurl herself at the man if she could, for Weiss's sake.

The man himself grinned slightly, seeing how shaken Weiss had been by the mention of her mother, before he turned back to Ironwood. "I knew one day you would overextend your reach," Jacques told him. He was still grinning. "I didn't come here to beg for an abandoned mine. I came here to thank you. For personally handing me the noose to hang you."

Behind him, Weiss started as she felt a hand slip into her own, looking to the left to see Blake standing there with a warm, reassuring smile. Yang stood beside her, and to her right, Ruby gave her an uplifting smile of her own as the three girls stood in solidarity next to their friend.

"You'll regret this," Jacques assured Ironwood before turning and taking in the sight of Team RWBY standing as one. His mustached curled in a distasteful frown. "So, these are the little friends you threw everything away for?"

Weiss shook her head. "Not friends." Ruby looked at her for a moment before she amended, "Family." At that, she smiled widely at Weiss, as well as Jacques. Yang smirked at the businessman as well, while Blake's deadly glared remained pinned on Jacques's face.

Jacques was unintimidated by the display, but it did appear to bore him. With a little _Hmmph_, he turned on his heel and boarded his airship once more, the engines firing up as the door closed behind him to take him back to Schnee Manor in Atlas. Wiess physically slumped with a sigh, the encounter having taxed her more than she'd bargained, while Ruby placed a comforting hand on her back.

As the SDC craft disembarked, a single truck rolled up to the landing pad it had just occupied. From the passenger seat appeared Winter, glaring up cautiously at the disappearing airhsip and ensuring it was safely out of range before she finally fully stepped out of the vehicle.

Weiss smiled in amusement. "Oh, now you show up, Winter," she teased. "You just missed Father."

Winter approached them, her eyes lingering on Jacques ship as it faded into the horizon. "I wouldn't say I missed hi—"

"_Surprise!_" Penny shouted as she suddenly landed in their midst, armes extended and a jovial smile on her face. Team RWBY all fell back with a cry from the surprise entrance, groaning and twitching on the ground. Penny looked down at them in confusion. "Uh, did we not start yet?"

Ironwood was smiling slightly at the display, while Winter held a hand to her head with a sigh. "Apparently, we haven't."

As Jaune and Nora roared in laughter at the sight behind them, Ruby picked herself up and dusted herself of snow to look at Penny. "Start what?"

* * *

**Amity Tower, Kingdom of Atlas**

The sun had set by the time Ironwood had collected the kids, Qrow, Penny, and Winter in a Bullhead and taken a short ride up to Amity Colosseum. He led them through the former stadium's empty corridors out into the main floor, where matches had been held for the Vytal Festival Tournament, once upon a time. It was a bit eerie to see those empty stands, gazing out at them as if their audience was now only the wind and whatever ghosts from the past found them interesting.

Ironwood regarded them somberly, Winter and Penny at his side. "It goes without saying that this arena holds a significance to all of us." He stepped forward. "It's only fitting that we should be able to reconvene here. Now. When the world needs to be brought together more than ever.

"The road you travelled from our first meeting hasn't been easy. You fought for your school and your friends at Beacon. You fought for the world and the innocent at Haven Academy and beyond. You faced down terrors people can't even fathom." He walked along the line of teens before him, taking in each and every one of them with a proud gaze. "That's not the behavior of students. It's the behavior… of Hunstmen and Huntresses."

With that, Ironwood turned to Penny. Penny had been bouncing excitedly as he talked, an eager smile written all over her face as Winter physically placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her still. Now, Penny took her cue and went to work, walking down the line of students with a tablet in her hand. She stopped in front of each of them and pressed a button on the tablet, humming cheerfully all the while.

Ren was the first one to feel his Scroll buzz. He pulled it out and looked at the credentials that displayed him as a student of Beacon Academy, only to do a double take as the words suddenly changed in front of him. Where it had read 'Student License: Beacon,' now there was 'Huntsman License: Atlas.' The others pulled out their own Scrolls and beheld the same change. "Wait," Ren said, "what is this?"

"You are being granted your Huntsman licenses. Today," Winter supplied.

Ironwood took up the dialogue as Penny finished the line with Team RWBY. "I know this is coming a little ahead of schedule, but Brothers know you deserve it. I only regret that I couldn't do something a little more ceremonious for the situation."

Ruby stared down at her Scroll, her new license. Once, a long time ago, this would have been all she had aspired for, a way to officially be able to help anyone and everyone who needed it. So much had changed since then, with everything they'd learned. Not quite knowing what else to say, she murmured, "I—_we… _we're honored, General Ironwood. But you really don't have to do th—"

"Please. With the threat of Salem still out there, and tensions rising in our Kingdom, I certainly could use more trustworthy fighter by my side." He missed the traded glances that ran up and down the group as he went on, "I should be so lucky to have all of you." Mistaking their silence for shock, he smiled sincerely and said, "It's okay. It's a big moment. And what better way than to celebrate here? When this tower is ready, and communications are back up and running, we'll tell the world about Salem, and face down whatever comes at us after that. Together."

He looked at them a moment longer, the pride in their achievements lingering in his gaze, before he sighed shortly. "That's… just about all the pomp I have in me. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to running this operation." He adjusted his red necktie. "Um, well then. Enjoy the cake." With that, the General turned and made his way to one of the exits, Winter following at his side.

Penny waved and encouraged the departers, "Your speech outros are improving, sir!"

As for the former students, they were in a state of semi-surprise. "After everything we've been through," Yang mused, "I almost forgot this is what I wanted in the first place."

"When Beacon fell, I didn't think this would even be possible," Blake agreed.

Weiss nodded. "It almost seems trivial now.

"Jeez, guys, lighten up a bit!" came Qrow's voice. They turned to see him smiling at them, the same pride that had been in Ironwood's eyes shining in his own. "Enjoy yourselves for a change! You've earned it."

"Finally! Someone said it!" Nora agreed. "Let's kill some cake, huh! Because I can eat two slices before Ren even eats one! Who says I can't? Who says it, huh?!" she cried in challenge.

"Nora," Ren reassured her, "no one is arguing about you with this."

The teams made their way into the stands, where a table had been set up and the cake awaited. Penny delightedly cut the dessert into slices, and everyone began to mill about and chat with each other. Yang made an effort to get Penny to shake her hand, only for the gynoid girl to recoil back fearfully when she pulled the robotic appendage off. However, she began to laugh along with Yang and Nora, both of whom had been in the situation before.

Alone in the stands sat Ruby, happy to see her friends enjoying themselves but still thinking hard about things. She was disturbed from her thoughts by Qrow, who sidled up next to her. "Big day for you, huh, kiddo?"

She frowned. "It's… definitely a lot to take in."

"Which part? The finally getting to Atlas part, getting your license part," he smiled knowingly at her, "or the not quite disclosing everything to Ironwood part?" He chuckled. "Or… all of the above."

Ruby gave a soft laugh despite herself. "All of the above," she agreed. Her smile gave way to worry as she went on, "I'm trying to do what I think is best, but I can't really tell if what's best is what's right… or if I'm no different from Oz." That had been the thought that consumed her ever since their first meeting with Ironwood. It's certainly what gave Oscar and her sister pause. Keeping the entire truth from Ironwood, even if ony temporarily, seemed far too much like what the headmaster had done to them. Her conversation with Oscar from that morning kept playing through in her head.

"Ruby," Qrow said gently, "Oz only trusted himself with the whole truth. You're trusting others, but you're making sure they _prove _themselves first. I think that's a pretty big difference."

"I hope so," the girl murmured. She pulled out her Scroll, looked down at her new, official Huntress license. "This says I'm a Huntress now. But I don't feel like I know much more than I did at Beacon."

Qrow chuckled again. "That feeling never goes away." He smiled sincerely at her. "Your mom, Summer, would have been proud of you."

Ruby returned his smile, but a new thought gave her pause. Slowly, hesitantly, she ventured, "Her last mission… was that another Oz secret?"

Qrow leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Hmm. There were a lot of those back in our day. But this one was a Summer secret." His crimson eyes went upward, as if searching for the answer they both wanted in the starry night sky. "When she didn't come back, Ozpin seemed just as in the dark as myself and your father." His voice held a slightly bitter edge to it when he added, "Still, who knows what he might have hidden from us over the years."

Ruby thought for a moment. "What do you think she would have done? If she learned the truth about Salem? That she can't be destroyed."

"Pressed on, I think. Like you. She was always the best of us." Qrow put an arm over his niece's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Ruby closed her eyes and smiled, grateful for his reassurance. "Bit of a brat, though," he joked a moment later, "but hey, I like brats." Ruby laughed and elbowed him playfully in the side.

"Hey Ruby!" Yang's voice called out. She looked to see her sister thumbing at something behind her. "Come check this out!"

Ruby and Qrow made their way out of the stands to see the other kids grouped around something. Ruby zipped to the front and gasped. "Oh my gosh, is that a mission board? It's an _app_, now?!" She darted forward and looked over the available missions. "Oh, can we ride a Megoliath? Stop an underground crimering? Do I get to go," she threw her hood up over her head and turned to Penny, "undercover?"

"Maybe!" Penny replied, slightly jostled as Ruby grabbed her by the shoulders and excitedly shook her up and down.

"Hey, you guys smell that?" The group turned to see Marrow, accompanied by Elm and Vine, emerging from one of the nearby tunnels. The Faunus Ace Op sniffed the air and smirked at the younger Huntsmen and Huntresses. "Smells like fresh meat."

Behind him, Vine took a long sniff of the air, appearing puzzled. "That's odd. I don't smell meat."

Ren sniffed as well. "Neither do I."

Marrow groaned. "You know what, nevermind."

"Let me get this straight," Elm said. "You've only been official for an hour now and you're already looking for Huntsman work?"

"To be fair," Weiss replied, "we've been official for a whole…" She pulled out her Scroll to check the time, only to frown as she finished, "...fifty-seven minutes."

"I'd like to remind you all," Vine said, "that the real mission here is ensuring the successful launch of the communications tower."

"True," Ren agreed, "but we can also keep training and improving by helping where we can."

Elm sighed fondly with a fist pump. "The enthusiasm of youths!"

"Well, it's hard to argue with that," Marrow conceded. "Alright, let me show you how it works." He approached the board and scrolled through the list. "Ooh, here's an important one. Who wants to volunteer?"

Everyone's hands flew up, along with a few excited murmers or gasps.

"We need someone to escort children to pre-primary school down in Mantle. There's not actually any danger, but the parents fret, and that attracts Grimm."

Everyone's hands sank down, along with a few disappointed groans. Everyone's except for Jaune, who hesitantly kept his raised. "Perfect, thanks… Juan… Jwan… Jim?" Marrow tried.

"Close enough, I guess," Jaune said with a weak chuckle. However, Marrow's fumbling over his name was overshadowed by his sense of accomplishment. "Wow, my first Huntsman mission!"

Elm shoved Marrow out of the way, selected another mission, and cried, "Next, a _massive _Sabyr is loose in the Mantle sewers. We need two brave warriors to flush it out."

Once again, everyone's hand flew eagerly up, leaving Jaune to flounder and complain, "Wha—? But, why didn't I get a choice for that one?" Everyone laughed, save for Marrow, who groaned from where Elm had shoved him on the floor.

* * *

**Schnee Manor, Atlas**

Unaware of the jovial celebration currently underway in Amity Tower, Jacques Schnee had retired for the evening to his study to fume. A drink rested in his hand, taking the edge off of a very frustrating day but failing to completely extinguish his anger. The nerve of Ironwood, claiming that his use of eminent domain didn't even require the Atlesian Council's permission. Their friendship had long since frayed into bitter rivalry, ever since James had enacted this _idiotic _embargo and cost Jacques millions in Lien. And to top it off, his errant daughter had the gall to not only return to Atlas after deliberately disobeying his commands, but to side with his enemy!

Clenching the glass tighter, Jacques took a drink, the singular, spherical ice cube within clinking against the side before the sound of his study door opening caught his attention. He turned to see Whitley, who appeared slightly uncomfortable, peering cautiously in through the gap. "Father, you, um… have a visitor."

Annoyed, Jacques slammed the glass down on the wooden arm of the chair, not hard enough to break, but loud enough to make an unpleasant clank that caused Whitley to cringe. "I told you I didn't want to be disturbed. Why did you let them in?"

"I didn't," Whitley said uneasily. "He… let himself in."

The door opened wider, and Jacques felt his eyes widen at the sight of the man now occupying the doorway. Dr. Arthur Watts grinned beneath a mustache that rivalled Jacques's own as he said, "A spitting image of you, this lad, Jacques. Creepily so, I might add." He strode over to inspect the bookshelves, glancing sideways at the businessman. "He's definitely inherited your," he chuckled, "_affect._"

"_Arthur,_" Jacques greeted, his reserved tone unable to keep the surprise off his face. Remembering they weren't alone, he turned and instructed, "Whitley, leave us. And shut the door." The boy glanced from the unexpected arrival to his father, before Jacques commanded him again, more harshly, "I said shut the door!"

Whitley obeyed, leaving the two men alone in the study. Watts wore a grin like the cat who'd cornered the canary as he took a long, leisurely stroll along Jacques's office. Jacques himself studied the doctor, as if to make sure that what he was seeing before him was real, and not some illusion brought on by the stress of the day. "I—you're supposed to be dead," Jacques said slowly.

Watts turned and walked toward Jacques, and Jacques was struck, like he had always been when they were younger, at how thin Arthur was, just barely above appearing unnaturally emaciated. "That is what I wanted people to think, you're right," Watts agreed. "However, I've heard things about you too, Jacques. Namely," he came around behind Jacques chair and leaned in close, "that you have an Ironwood problem."

Jacques scoffed. Problem was a severe understatement. "That bastard is costing me more money every day with this embargo. I'd lay off every employee in Mantle if I wasn't trying to get their damn _votes _for this Council seat."

Watts took a seat in the chair adjacent to Jacques and propped up one leg on the other knee, the smile just barely peeking out from beneath his mustache appearing sharklike. However, there was something promising about it that made Jacques sit up straighter as Watts lowered his voice and offered conspiratorially, "What if I said you could have your cake _and _eat it too?"


End file.
